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Florida Attorney General Works To Shutdown Tech Support Scams

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TAMPA (CBSMiami) -- Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday the filing of three complaints, including one filed jointly with the Federal Trade Commission, against companies allegedly involved in the operation of tech support scams.

The support scams trick consumers into believing their computers are infected with viruses and malware in an effort to bilk users out of hundreds of dollars.

Bondi said the scammers prey on peoples' fear of losing important work, family photos or sensitive information. She said the scams will not be tolerated in Florida.

Acting FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Thomas Pahl said since 2015, the FTC has received more than 96-thousand complaints about tech support scams with consumers reporting more than 24-million dollars in losses.

Since November 2014, Attorney General Bondi's Office has filed 12 actions against tech support scam operations, leading the nation in shutting down the operations.

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