Office Depot's 'PC Health Check' found malware it never scanned for — $35M FTC settlement

From 2012 Office Depot ran a free 'PC Health Check' diagnostic in its stores, presented as improving computer performance and scanning for viruses. But the 'malware symptoms' the software reported had no connection to any actual scan: the results were based entirely on whether a customer answered 'yes' to four questions at the start — whether the PC ran slow, showed virus warnings, crashed often, or displayed pop-ups.

After showing the fabricated results, the program pushed a 'view recommendation' button steering customers toward tech repair services that could cost hundreds of dollars. The FTC alleged the scheme tricked customers into buying millions of dollars of unnecessary repairs, and that both firms knew of complaints since at least 2012 — Office Depot kept using the tool until late 2016.

In March 2019 Office Depot agreed to pay $25 million and its software supplier Support.com to pay $10 million — $35 million total — to settle FTC charges of deceptive practices. The money went to consumer refunds, and the case was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.