Setting up a new printer should be a straightforward task, but sometimes, searching for online support can lead you down unexpected paths. Recently, I encountered a situation while trying to set up my new Brother printer that quickly turned into a stressful scam attempt. Hoping to find legitimate “Brother Printer Support,” my Google search led me to what appeared to be an official support webpage. However, this initial step was the beginning of a tech support scam that many others have unfortunately experienced.
The webpage offered a chat window, and through this, I was connected via phone with someone claiming to be a tech expert in India. He immediately requested remote access to my computer to “diagnose” the printer setup problem. After gaining access, he spent some time before declaring that my network was “corrupted” and I lacked a firewall. He insisted that these network issues needed to be resolved by a third party and a firewall properly installed. To add to the supposed urgency, he showed me a page – which I later realized was not genuinely from my system – indicating that my firewall was inactive. He strongly implied that my computer was vulnerable and potentially already compromised.
Feeling uneasy, especially when he suggested someone else (not him, conveniently) had access to my entire computer, I declined his services. I stated I would rather take my MacBook Air to local Apple experts for troubleshooting. He dismissed this idea, claiming it wasn’t a computer issue but a “network problem,” which seemed illogical as I don’t even operate on a home network. When I inquired about potential costs for this supposed network fix, and he confirmed there would be charges, I ended the call, deciding to seek local help instead.
After hanging up and reflecting on the interaction, alarm bells started ringing. Something felt distinctly wrong. I contacted the official Brother company directly and discovered the unsettling truth: this was a known scam they were actively “working on.” A quick online search confirmed their statement, revealing that this particular Brother printer support scam has been circulating since at least 2018, with victims falling prey to these deceptive tactics.
While I haven’t detected any signs of malware or viruses on my laptop and my internet connection seems fine, the experience was unsettling. To be safe, I performed a full backup and restarted my system. The lingering question remains: could they have installed anything malicious during that brief remote access? For anyone using a MacBook Air on OS 13.4.1 and facing similar concerns, it’s crucial to be vigilant and informed about these scams targeting Brother printer users. Always seek support through official Brother channels to avoid falling victim to these deceptive practices.
