Tech support scam victims lost $120 million—and will get $10 million back

Victims of a tech support scam are about to get refunds, but on average they will recover less than 10 percent of what they lost.

The Federal Trade Commission is sending e-mails to victims of the scam with instructions on how to claim a partial refund, the agency said today. Scam victims will have until October 27 of this year to apply for a refund.

The case stems from November 2014, when the FTC announced that "a federal court has temporarily shut down two massive telemarketing operations" that raked in more than $120 million "by deceptively marketing computer software and tech support services."

The FTC later won big court judgments against the companies involved, but the defendants didn't have enough money left to pay up. One monetary judgment of $29.5 million was suspended because of the defendants' financial condition.

But the FTC was able to recover $10 million in a December 2016 settlement with defendants including Inbound Call Experts, a company also known as Advanced Tech Support. A previous settlement with companies accused of generating leads for the telemarketers brought in $258,000.

The FTC did not say exactly how many people will get refunds or what the typical refund amount will be. But the FTC today said that Advanced Tech Support's victims number in the "hundreds of thousands."

People who bought products and services from Advanced Tech Support between April 2012 and November 2014 are eligible for refunds.

The online application to apply for refunds is available at this FTC webpage. The FTC also suggests calling the refund administrator at 877-793-0908.

False claims of viruses and malware

The defendants who paid $10 million "used high-pressure sales pitches to market tech support products and services by falsely claiming that people’s computers were infected with viruses and malware," the FTC said today.

"The company used online ads, search results, and partnerships with software developers to lure consumers to call Advanced Tech Support," the FTC said. Once victims called, telemarketers urged them to sign up for bogus technical support subscriptions and services that sometimes cost hundreds of dollars, the FTC said.

The defendants are allowed to continue doing business, but the settlement prohibits them from lying about performance or security problems on people's computers. "Under the order, a federal judge will appoint a monitor to oversee the defendants' business for two years, at the defendants' expense," the FTC said when it announced the settlement.

Still another set of defendants was ordered to pay $36.4 million, but the judgments were partially suspended due to the defendants' lack of money. A settlement in that case required the defendants to relinquish all of their assets.

Despite the multiple cases and settlements, an FTC spokesperson confirmed to Ars that $10 million is the total amount available for refunds.

Beware of government impersonators

People receiving messages about refunds should be careful, because some fraudsters impersonate government agencies in order to get more money from victims.

"You never have to pay to get a refund in an FTC case. Anyone who asks you to pay for a refund is a scammer," the FTC said. Such scammers should be reported to the FTC.

The FTC's e-mails about refunds for tech support scam victims will come from subscribe@subscribe.ftc.gov and contain a claim number and PIN that will let recipients apply for refunds. The settlement required defendants to provide customer information to the FTC, letting the agency identify people who are due refunds.

Amazon Music Unlimited now has a discount for impoverished students

It’s the time of year again when students head back to their hallowed halls of learning, and retail outlets the country over make an extra-special effort to sell them things. Back-to-school normally also brings some new promotions for students, and Amazon is making now exception for its digital offerings.

Amazon Music Unlimited, Amazon’s streaming music rival to Spotify and Apple Music, is now $5 a month for students. That’s a worthwhile discount over the $8 a month it is for Prime customers, and 50% off the $10 a month that regular non-Amazon-lovers get charged.

Amazon Music Unlimited has always seemed like a bit of an afterthought, a “me-too” lite version of Spotify and Apple Music. It doesn’t have the iPhone hook-in that Apple can leverage, and it can’t match Spotify’s quality of apps or exclusive music.

But for people who just want to listen to a good (not comprehensive) collection of stuff on one or two easy devices, it’s a good and cheap alternative to Spotify. If you’ve got an Amazon Echo, it works flawlessly with that, and that’s likely what Amazon is hoping for here.

Amazon Music Unlimited pricing is now right on par with Spotify and Apple Music for students. Amazon has become increasingly competitive with its digital offerings in the last year, releasing big-name original shows like Man In The High Castle to Amazon Video, and just today, it finally added multi-room music support to the Echo system.

10 ways to make your phone's battery last longer

Let's face it, at this point in your life, there are few things more important than your phone. That's why keeping it alive is more important than ever.

But with Hurricane Harvey, the first Category 3 hurricane that's forecast to hit the US in 12 years, touching down in Texas, potentially thousands of homes face the prospect of losing power. That's bad news for power-hungry smartphones, many of which can barely last a day with normal use.

Fear not. This handy phone survival guide will help you make the most out of your battery. If a power outage hits, you'll know exactly what to do to ensure you remain connected.

Turn off the extra wireless connections 

Your phone has a myriad of different connections, few of which are really that integral during a blackout. Wireless connections such as Bluetooth and WiFi are great during a regular day, but they can quickly drain a battery. In power-saving situations, GPS is also a no no, and disabling location services is another smart move.

Resist the urge to check your phone

For most of us, the smartphone is the equivalent of a drug -- one you can't quit. Well, a blackout is a good chance to go cold turkey. It's smart to limit the use as much as possible. Each time you turn on the display, you're cutting into the phone's battery life.

Share phones

If you're with a group of people, it might be useful to shut off all but one of the phones. That way, if one goes down, someone else can turn on a phone that still has a full charge. Of course, it might be handy to take down some critical phone numbers before turning off the devices.

Switch to airplane mode

If you don't want to completely shut off your phone, switch to airplane mode to shut off all of the radios, and switch back out of airplane mode only when you need to make a call or send a text message.

Keep your phone plugged in before a blackout hits

If you still have power and are looking to limit your usage already, why not let your phone rest near an outlet? When the power goes out, you'll know your phone is holding as much of a charge as it possibly can.

Charge backups

If you're lucky enough to have a phone with a swappable battery, as well as an extra battery, make sure that backup is fully charged before a blackout hits. Alternatively, a fully charged laptop can also be used as a battery of sorts, since it can charge a phone through a USB connection.

Disable push notifications

Most smartphones are hooked up to one e-mail account or another, and these devices either get messages pushed down to them or they fetch the e-mails. You can save a lot of battery by turning off the push notifications. 

Take a break from streaming

If you have to listen to music or video, don't use streaming services, which constantly puts a strain on the phone's battery. Only play videos or songs already loaded on the phone. Likewise, try not to play games that require a connection, like "Pokemon Go" or "Candy Crush Saga," or games that require phones to rev up their processors, such as the "Infinity Blade" series.

Dim the display

Displays often take up the most power, particularly if the phone has a large and bright screen. Most phones have an automatic brightness option, though you could manually dim the screen to preserve battery. Lock the phone and turn off the display as much as possible.

Send text messages instead of calling

Because of the nature of text messages, the conversation is usually kept short and concise. Phone calls can drag on, sucking up valuable battery life, but a text message gets the information out far more efficiently, and isn't constantly running.

Here's everything that's included with Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is best known for two things: free two-day shipping and Netflix-style video streaming. Those are decidedly worthwhile perks, especially considering the $99 annual subscription charge, but a Prime membership affords more than just shipping and streaming. A lot more.

Here's a look at every single benefit included with Prime -- along with a few Amazon services you might think are included, but actually cost extra.

The complete list of Prime perks is surprisingly long, starting with everyone's favorite:

Free two-day shipping (or better)

Many, if not most, of Amazon's physical goods will be shipped to your door in two days -- provided you live in the contiguous US (sorry, Hawaiians). What's especially remarkable about this is there's no minimum order: Even if you buy a $5 HDMI cable, it'll arrive in 48 hours. In fact, residents of some ZIP codes can enjoy same-day delivery at no extra charge, so as long as the order totals at least $35.

Not in a rush? Very often you can opt to forgo two-day delivery in exchange for credit that can be applied to digital purchases (ebooks, movie rentals, etc.). Look for this option on the checkout page where you select your shipping option.

Free release-date delivery

Suppose you preorder a new book from your favorite author or a hot new tech product. As a Prime subscriber, you'll receive that item on the exact day it's released -- not two days later. Only certain items are eligible, of course.

Free two-hour delivery

Prime Now takes things hyper-local, delivering groceries, restaurant food and other items in just two hours -- or within one hour for an extra $7.99. As of this writing, however, Prime Now is available in just a handful of cities.

Free (or flat-rate) grocery and household item delivery

Toilet paper, dog food, shampoo, your favorite cereal -- Prime Pantry will deliver these and other goods (pretty much anything that doesn't require refrigeration) for free. However, you need to order a minimum of five "qualifying" items, otherwise there's a flat $5.99 delivery charge.

Restaurant delivery

Amazon is currently test-driving restaurant delivery (use your Zip code to see if it's available in your area), with the promise of easy ordering, real-time delivery tracking and no menu markups. However, it's not immediately clear if delivery is free with Prime or just available with Prime.

Whole Foods discounts

Whole Foods markets will soon take on special significance for Amazon Prime members.

Getty Images

Following Amazon's acquisition of the grocery chain, you'll be able to score exclusive discounts both in-store and on Amazon.com. At this writing, we don't have specifics, but according to Amazon's press release: "Amazon Prime will become Whole Foods Market's customer rewards program, providing Prime members with special savings and other in-store benefits." And Amazon proper will start selling 365 Everyday Value, Whole Foods Market, Whole Paws and Whole Catch products.

Unlimited video streaming

Prime Video is akin to Netflix, offering movies, TV shows and original content. It's accessible on virtually all mobile devices and most streaming sticks and boxes (the notable exception being Apple TV ($147.59 at Buy.com)). However, Prime has one huge ace up its sleeve: many TV shows, and some movies, can be downloaded to your phone or tablet for offline viewing.

Limited music streaming

Amazon Prime Music affords unlimited, ad-free access to a song library stocked with over 2 million tracks. You can stream them to various devices, but songs can also be downloaded to your phone or tablet for offline listening.

Prime Music should not be confused with Amazon Music Unlimited (see "What's not included with Amazon Prime," below), which offers a much larger library (think: Spotify), but costs extra. Prime subscribers do get a break on the price, though.

Unlimited photo storage

Much like Google, Amazon Prime offers subscribers unlimited cloud storage for photos. For most users that means using the Amazon Drive app to upload pictures from phones and tablets, but there's also a desktop app (for Windows and Mac) that can archive photos from your hard drive.

In addition, Prime Photos gives you 5GB of storage for documents and videos.

Access to Amazon Elements

Created primarily with parents in mind, Elements offers an array of baby products that meet various quality and transparency standards.

Access to Amazon Dash

You've probably seen Amazon's little product-branded buttons, which let you reorder various consumables (paper towel, laundry detergent and so on) with just one press. Each button costs $4.99, and each product order costs whatever it costs, but you need to be Prime subscriber if you want to use Dash at all.

Early access to Lightning deals

Amazon's Lightning deals run for limited time and/or while supplies last. If you're a Prime subscriber, you get access to those deals 30 minutes ahead of non-subscribers.

One free e-book per month

As part of your Prime subscription, you get access to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, which lets you check out one e-book per month and read that book on any Kindle e-reader or Fire tablet. The catch: This particular library offers a relatively small selection; don't expect a lot of new titles or bestsellers.

One free e-book per month, part 2

Each month, Amazon Prime subscribers get to pick a free ebook as part of the Kindle First program.

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

It's called Kindle First, and it works like this: Each month, Amazon editors curate six new, yet-to-be-released books and give Prime subscribers the chance to pick one of them -- for free. And it's for keeps, too; you're not just borrowing the book.

Free books and magazines

Amazon's new Prime Reading feature differs from the Lending Library in a few key ways. First, it's not limited to Kindles: You can access the catalog of free e-books on phones, tablets and anything else capable of running a Kindle app. Second, the selection includes not only books, but also a rotating selection of magazines, comics, travel guides, Kindle Singles and more.

Free audiobooks

Kind of like Prime Reading for audiobooks, Audible Channels for Prime (a $60-per-year value, according to Amazon) gives you unlimited access to a selection of original audio series and select audiobooks. Just keep in mind these are limited to streaming; you can't download them for offline listening.

Ad-free Twitch

Hardcore gamers know all about Twitch, which lets users watch and share game videos. If you link your Prime subscription to your Twitch account, you get an ad-free viewing experience, along with one free Twitch channel per month and exclusive discounts on game purchases.

Odds and ends

Amazon Prime lets you add premium video subscriptions -- Starz, Showtime, and so on -- to your Prime Video viewing umbrella. (Alas, you don't get any discounts compared with purchasing those subscriptions separately.) As part of Amazon Family, you can score 20 percent of diaper purchases via Subscribe & Save and 15 percent of eligible products in your baby registry. And speaking of family, you're allowed to extend your membership to one additional adult living in your house.

What's not included with Amazon Prime

That's an awful lot of Prime goodness. However, a smattering of Amazon services aren't included with your subscription. Here's a look at what costs extra -- and how much extra.

Amazon Fresh

Although Prime does offer both grocery and local deliveries, Amazon Fresh -- currently available in only a handful of regions -- does not fall under that umbrella. Rather, the service is its own entity, promising same-day or next-day delivery from local grocery stores.

Just recently, Amazon eliminated the $299 up-front fee for a Fresh subscription; now it costs $14.99 monthly, though you must be a Prime subscriber to get it. (That means it still costs around $250 outright to get the service.)

Kindle Freetime Unlimited

A subscription service designed expressly for ages 3-12, Freetime Unlimited curates kid-friendly apps, e-books, games, movies, TV shows and more. It's compatible with Kindles, Fire tablets and the Fire TV, and it includes parental controls for things like setting time limits, adjusting content filters and reviewing any photos taken with the tablet.

You don't need to have a Prime subscription to get Freetime Unlimited, but it's cheaper: $2.99 per month for one child or $6.99 per month for up to four children. If you don't have Prime, the service costs $4.99 and $9.99, respectively.

Kindle Unlimited

Kindle Unlimited appears to combine Prime Reading and Audible Channels, putting them together as a separate, standalone service. Thus you get access to a limited library of ebooks, magazines and audiobooks, all of which you can access on desktop and mobile devices.

However, the math makes no sense: Kindle Unlimited costs $9.99 per month, the same price you'd pay for a full-blown Amazon Prime subscription.

Music Unlimited

Amazon's answer to Apple Music, Spotify and the like gives you access to "tens of millions" of songs -- far more than you get from Prime Music. If you already have a Prime subscription, Music Unlimited costs $7.99 per month -- a few dollars less than what the competition charges. However, a family plan makes it $14.99 per month whether you're a Prime subscriber or not, and that doesn't represent any savings over the competition. Indeed, you might want to investigate whether Amazon Music Unlimited is good deal before adding it to your account.

   

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How to change your email address without losing your friends

Think of all the places where your old email address resides, outside of your immediate control, waiting to give people plenty of false information. There are other people’s address books, old messages in people’s inboxes, websites that use your address as your logon name, and your business cards.

Changing your email address can be quite a chore.

1. Keep the old address for a little while

The first thing you need to do is check with your old mail provider and find out how long you can keep the old address and at what price. It’s probably worth the money to keep it for at least a few months.

2. Tell your contacts, but bcc: please

Then you need to tell everyone about the change. Using your new address, send an email to everyone in your address book—friends, relatives, and business associates. Address the message to yourself (again, with the new address), and BCC everyone else.

The BCC part is important. Providing everyone with everyone else’s email address is going to get people angry—especially if some people Reply to All.

3. Auto-forward and auto-respond

Set up your mail client to receive messages from both accounts. Check the client’s features to see if there’s a way to send an automated response in reply to any message coming from the old address—and only the old address. The message, of course, should remind them to use the new address.

You might also want to set up your client to separate messages by the Send To address. That way, you can really see who’s still using the old address.

For instance, if you use Gmail, you can create a filter that can move the message to a label (Gmail for folder) or put a star next to the message:

1. Click the tool icon near the top-right corner of the webpage and select Settings.
2. Click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
3. Go to the bottom of the page and click Create a new filter.
4. In the resulting dialog box, enter your old address in the To field.
5. Click Create filter with this search in the lower-right corner.
6. Check one of the options. I suggest Star it or Apply the label and create a new label.
7. Click Create filter.

Lincoln Spector

Set Gmail to redirect messages sent to the old address to another location.

4. Update your site logins and subscriptions

Meanwhile, go through all of the websites you log onto via your email address, and change your account information to reflect your new address. 

Do the same with mailing lists. If you subscribe to a blog, a newsletter, or just a group of friends, make the change so you won’t fall off the list.

5. The lazy way out

You can avoid a lot of these hassles if you decide to keep the old address indefinitely—especially if the old address is cheap or, better yet, free. You can phase it out at your own pace, or make it the repository for all your junk email.

6. Other ways to make email addresses easier to manage

On the other hand, you may want to lose the old address precisely because of all the garbage that fills its inbox. If that’s the case, you need to protect the new address as well as junk the old one. Sign up for a service that provides disposable email addresses that forward messages to your real one. If you’re worried about giving someone your address, give them a disposable one. I use Blur, a free Firefox and Chrome extension. Other options include spamex and mailshell.

Finally, consider buying your own domain name, and using an email address from there. No one can take away your email address if you own the domain. Domain hosting prices can vary widely, so shop carefully. 

Speaking of expenses, remember to reprint your business cards, too.

iOS 11 will make it impossible for cops to force you to unlock your phone

The rollout of iOS 11 is fast approaching, and with the beta version of the new update already in the hands of many testers we were bound to discover things that Apple had kept secret. One of those things happens to be an absolutely incredible privacy feature that lets you automatically disable Touch ID in just a few seconds, securing your device and preventing anyone (including law enforcement) from forcing you to access your iPhone by using your fingerprint.

The new feature is activated by pressing the lock button five times in a row. When you do this, the phone enters an emergency mode that brings up a second screen with the SOS button that, if toggled, alerts your emergency contacts to your location. What it also does, regardless of whether you tap the SOS button, is lock down your device and disable Touch ID until you verify your identity with your passcode.

With plenty of controversy surrounding the rights of citizens and the legal implications of police forcing individuals to unlock their phones with their fingerprints — or even using a person’s prints against their will — it’s an extremely powerful feature. Apple hasn’t spent any time talking about the new privacy tool, but with iOS 11 expected to hit iOS devices sometime in September, it’ll be available to millions and millions of people in just a few weeks.

Apple has proven to be extremely bold when it comes to user privacy, refusing to unlock iPhones of suspected criminals due to the precedent it could set for the future. An easy way to disable Touch ID definitely fits with that theme, and it’ll be interesting to see how (or if) law enforcement agencies react.