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Washington Sues iYogi Charging It With Fraudulent Tech Support

Paula Wissel
Washington Attorney General graphic from news conference announcing lawsuit against iYogi.

Consumers in Washington are losing $33 million each year to tech support scams, according to Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who is suing iYogi, one of the world’s biggest independent providers of tech support. In a lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court, the state claims iYogi uses deceit and scare tactics to get people to pay for computer help they don’t need.

If you do a search for Apple or Microsoft tech support, chances are good that an ad for iYogi will pop up. The state claims when you call iYogi you are lead to believe the support person is actually with a big computer software or hardware company, which isn’t true.

iYogi also makes cold calls to consumers.

Even Microsoft’s President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith has gotten them.

“I have received calls by people claiming to work for Microsoft. I have explained to them that I am very skeptical that they work for Microsoft,” said Smith at a news conference with Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

According to the lawsuit against iYogi, once you let the tech support person take control of your computer, software is downloaded that triggers warnings on your computer, making you believe that you really do need that anti-virus and support package iYogi is selling. 

The state contends the practice not only violates Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, but also the more specific Washington Computer Spyware Act, which makes it illegal to coerce someone to install unnecessary software.

Washington says it may seek up to $2,000 in civil penalties for each violation of the Consumer Protection Act and $100,000 per violation of the Computer Spyware Act. 

iYogi is a global company based in India, but has U.S. operations. The president of the company, Vishal Dhar, is also named in the suit. The company hasn't yet commented on the lawsuit.

Paula is a former host, reporter and producer who retired from KNKX in 2021. She joined the station in 1989 as All Things Considered host and covered the Law and Justice beat for 15 years. Paula grew up in Idaho and, prior to KNKX, worked in public radio and television in Boise, San Francisco and upstate New York.