SEATTLE, WA - A technology support company run by an Indian-American entrepreneur has been sued by the US state of Washington for alleged illegal business practices to pressure consumers into buying unnecessary software, a charge denied as false and baseless by the firm. iYogi and its President Vishal Dhar have been named in the lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court in Washington state.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the lawsuit against one of the biggest independent tech support providers in the world seeks to stop a scam that uses deception and scare tactics to pressure consumers into buying unnecessary tech support services.
The lawsuit alleges iYogi’s tactics are unfair and deceptive business practices that violate Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.
“This lawsuit sends a message to tech support scammers that my office will hold them accountable.” Dhar denied the accusations as “false and baseless” and said in a statement that his company “has attained its industry leadership by being customer focused and value driven, and our service is successful because it addresses a genuine need.”
As part of its investigation, Ferguson’s office found that in online ads, iYogi associated itself with major technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple and HP and when consumers called iYogi, the representative claimed to provide tech support services on behalf of whatever company the consumer inquires about. After gaining remote access to the consumer s computer, iYogi identified benign but complex-looking files and claimed the “infected files” would harm the computer. Once iYogi has alarmed the consumer, the representative proceeded to aggressively sell a tech support plan to fix the non-existent problems for $140-379.
Based out of New York, iYogi has over 5,000 employees with call centers in India.
The lawsuit alleges iYogi’s tactics are unfair and deceptive business practices that violate Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.
“This lawsuit sends a message to tech support scammers that my office will hold them accountable.” Dhar denied the accusations as “false and baseless” and said in a statement that his company “has attained its industry leadership by being customer focused and value driven, and our service is successful because it addresses a genuine need.”
As part of its investigation, Ferguson’s office found that in online ads, iYogi associated itself with major technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple and HP and when consumers called iYogi, the representative claimed to provide tech support services on behalf of whatever company the consumer inquires about. After gaining remote access to the consumer s computer, iYogi identified benign but complex-looking files and claimed the “infected files” would harm the computer. Once iYogi has alarmed the consumer, the representative proceeded to aggressively sell a tech support plan to fix the non-existent problems for $140-379.
Based out of New York, iYogi has over 5,000 employees with call centers in India.
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