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If you paid for technical support services from Global Access Technical Support (GATS), you’ll be getting a letter or an email from the Federal Trade Commission about a refund. You might have known the company as Global SConnect, Global sMind, Yubdata Tech, or Technolive.

The FTC sued GATS, alleging that the company lied about partnering with well-known tech companies and tricked people into paying for unnecessary computer repairs. GATS has now paid $860,000 to settle the lawsuit. 

The FTC is sending refunds to people who paid money to GATS. If you get a check from us, cash it within 60 days. We will send refunds via PayPal to customers for whom we do not have a mailing address.

Here’s how the PayPal refunds work: the FTC will send the customer an email from subscribe@subscribe.ftc.gov. Then, within 24 hours, that customer will also get an email directly from PayPal about the refund. If you get those emails, all you have to do is type www.paypal.com into your browser, log in to your account (or create one), and review and accept the payment. Or accept payment by logging into the PayPal app.

To avoid scammers who might pretend to be from the FTC or PayPal, follow these simple steps:

  • If you get a refund email that claims to be from the FTC or PayPal, don’t click on any links in the email. Instead, visit the website by typing the right URL into your browser: www.ftc.gov/refunds and www.paypal.com
  • Check out FTC refunds at ftc.gov/refunds. Each case on that page has a phone number you can call to check on refund payments.
  • Know that the FTC never asks people to pay money or give sensitive financial information to get a refund. People who say they are with the FTC and ask for money are scammers.

For more information about this refund program, or to get a check instead of a PayPal payment, visit www.ftc.gov/GlobalAccess or call 844-881-1379.

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It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.

The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

Kd49
August 01, 2019
I keep getting calls from a technical support company telling me if I don't respond $299. will automatically be deducted from my account. So far there havn been no deductions. Unfortunately, the caller starts talking before my outgoing message is finished so I don't get the beginning part. I suspect it's a robocall.
Laura
August 08, 2019

In reply to by Kd49

This is a common scam, and there are many variations. Please don’t talk with them, press a key to be removed from their list, or call back. It is helpful to report such calls to the FTC.
Don't use your…
August 01, 2019
Thanks for all the safety tips
mfragamiranda
August 02, 2019
Thank you!
Rubino
August 04, 2019
That did happen to me.some time around mid 2018.&2019.i do not remember the exact date but I guess I could research bank statements.
Rubino
August 06, 2019
Why would these people call you and pretend that they will send refund to your bank account. Is this another scam?
FTC Staff
August 06, 2019

In reply to by Rubino

That sounds like a scam. If you tell someone your bank account number, they can take money out of your account - even if they say they will give you money.

Rubino
August 06, 2019
GAT called me yesterday and said they were offering a refund by Pay Pal ?They were wanting to remove all that they had down loaded into the computer...? And that would send the refund.But my bank would not let them. They are supposed to call me this afternoon again. Do I refuse to talk with them. And carry my lap top to my repair center. And change all pass words.?
FTC Staff
August 06, 2019

In reply to by Rubino

That sounds like a scam. That is not how the FTC refunds work.

 If you paid for technical support services from Global Access Technical Support (GATS), you will get a letter or an email from the Federal Trade Commission about a refund. You will not get a phone call. The FTC will not ask for access to your computer.

If they call again, hang up. Don't give them any information. And please send us another comment.

Older and Wiser
August 06, 2019
I am one of the unfortunate people that have fallen for the tech scam. It has been a few years but I fell twice. Now they tell me that I have a credit due to me from one of these companies and they need my Bank Acct. No. saying there unable to mail a check. They never say the name of the companies and I can't remember the names , just don't fall for this.
wijnanda
August 07, 2019
a real mess you created instead of helping!!I hate PayPal they are scam artists they just TOOK money out of my account. I am giving up on this "refund " i spend 2 hours on this and now have a unwanted PayPal account, my advice NEVER USE PAYPAL
FTC Staff
August 07, 2019

In reply to by wijnanda

If you don't want to get your refund through PayPal, or if you have other questions, please call the company that is managing the refunds for the FTC at 1-844-881-1379.

This page explains how an FTC refund by PayPal works:

  1. The FTC sends you an email from subscribe@subscribe.ftc.gov
  2. Within 24 hours after you get the FTC email, PayPal sends an email that says how to claim your refund.  
  3. To accept the payment, you log in, or create a PayPal account at www.PayPal.com, or use the PayPal app.
Babs
August 09, 2019
I received the following email from Global S Connect today. This is the 2nd email from them. I received the first email on April 15th. Greetings of the day! This is a final reminder email from Global S Connect for you to inform, that the contract electronically signed by you, with our company for the maintenance of your computer services has been expired, and it will be auto renewed in next 24 hours, for upcoming 3 years. Hence will be charged $2000 USD If you have any questions or queries regarding the same kindly do call us on 1-805-855-7145 / 1-888-777-8111 If you feel that you are unsatisfied with any of the services given to you and want refund of your valued money that you paid or to cancel the auto-renewal. kindly call us and talk to refund manager to get your refund. Waiting for your response! Waiting for your response! Thanks and Regards Customer Support
gullibleonlyon…
August 10, 2019
3-4 years ago I fell for one of their (Global SConnect)scams on Christmas Eve - a vulnerable time because financial institutions could not be reached. Received a call from same thing just a week ago but this time I was not the 'stupid' one and knew it was just another scam. Yesterday received a very official looking letter supposedly from "US of A FEDERAL TRADE COMMISION" in Washington,DC 20580 with refund ck attached dated Aug 1, 2019 in amt $63.08 as settlement from FTC sueing Global Access Tech Support alleging that company tricked people into paying for unnecessary computer repairs pretending something wrong w/their computers (mine being one of them). Official looking until a non professionally worded sentence - "Please cash the enclosed check by September 30, 2019. After that, your ck could bounce, and you could be charged a bank fee". Phone number they provided to call was 844-881-1379 if you had questions regarding refund. Ph number when checked proved to be an 'invalid number'. Also provided on the letter was a website www.ftc.gov/refunds which appeared to be legit but when checking claim # provided on check it to proved to be 'invalid'. I suppose the scammers failed to give this old lady enough credit and thought I would just cash the check without doing my research. NOT!! Somehow these people who make a living scamming those who legally provide for their families need to be stopped and have charges brought against them. Fortunately this old lady is not so 'gullible' any more.
FTC Staff
August 30, 2019

In reply to by gullibleonlyon…

The Federal Trade Commission really did send refund checks to people who paid money to Global Access Tech Support. The FTC letters that accompany the checks urge people to cash the checks within 60 days, or before September 30, 2019. The FTC refund page is www.FTC.gov/refunds.

You can call 1-844-881-1379 to talk with someone at Analytics Consulting, LLC, the company that is managing the refunds for the FTC. I just called the number and it is working. If you received a refund check from the FTC but destroyed it, you can explain that to someone at Analytics Consulting.

If you have other questions or comments, please send another comment here.

Don't use kricheson1
October 06, 2019
When will I receive my refund. It has been quite a while since I signed up.
Cadbury
October 09, 2019
From the start of this fiasco I've been a victim of identity theft, bullied all over the internet,harassed, stalked, talked about in the worst types of ways, stabbed, followed, and a host of other mean things this organization has been responsible for. I believe that I deserve to be compensate d for a broken heart, shamful situations, and tricked by the devil.