A group of firms have been charged in the US with trying to trick people into thinking their computers were plagued by viruses so they could charge to fix the problems.
The Federal Trade Commission said the action against 14 companies and 17 people was part of a new international crackdown on such tech-support scams. The agency said a federal judge in New York has issued an order halting six alleged scams and freezing their assets.
The FTC said the telemarketing schemes mostly operate from India and target English-speaking consumers in the US, Britain and other countries.
The telemarketers claimed they worked for companies such as Microsoft and Dell, saying they had detected a virus or malware. They offered to fix the problems remotely for up to £250.
