Norton Tech Support Scam

I purchased the latest Norton Security Deluxe and tried to install it on my desk top. I always have trouble activating the exe. file and could not remember how I did it last year so I sought out help from Norton. I googled "Norton Customer Service" and selected the number listed as "Norton Antivirus Support Canada". The number I called was 1-855-264-9333. I spoke to a technician who tried to solve my problem and after she talked me through a few solutions that failed, she said I would receive a call from a technician that would solve my problem. I missed a call from 1-888-865-7444. I called back and a gentlemen told me that a tech named Barbara would connect with my computer remotely, which she did. Barbara performed a variety of tests and highlighted problems with my computer as she worked. The conversation turned into a dialog on the dangers of virus infections, malware and ransomware. By the look of the background which contained no Norton logos, I assumed this was a third party used by Norton to provide help. She offered me an ongoing Norton protection program or a one time fix for $79.99. I told her this sounded like a scam and challenged her to prove she worked for Norton/Symantic. She provided an employee number. I started taking screen shots to get the name of the company and our dialog and then I disconnected her fearing for my privacy. The screen shots had been deleted.

I called back the 1-888-865-7444 number. I asked if I was indeed speaking to Norton and I was told "yes". I related my experience and told him I believed their third party company was scamming their customers. He told me I would receive a call from a supervisor which I never did. This obviously is a scam to mislead Norton customers into believing they are dealing with Norton with a goal of selling you services you do not need and extracting personal information. As of Oct 12, both those numbers are no longer working.