HP scams
Last updated September 18, 2026
The short answer
HP scams mostly run through printers: a driver you need, a printer that will not connect, and a search that lands on a fake HP support number. HP does not answer support through numbers advertised in search ads, and never needs remote access to fix a driver.
Printers generate more support-seeking behaviour than any other consumer device, and that is the whole opportunity. Someone with a printer that will not connect goes looking for help, finds a number in a search ad, and calls it — arriving pre-frustrated and ready to grant remote access to whoever offers to fix it. The fake driver site is the same funnel with the installation step doing the work instead of the phone call.
How HP scams work
- 1
Search-ad support numbers
Searching for HP printer support returns ads with phone numbers. The operators charge for "support plans", install remote-access tools, and often leave behind software that generates the next problem.
- 2
Fake driver downloads
Sites offering HP drivers bundle remote-access software or malware. Real drivers come only from support.hp.com.
- 3
Pop-up warnings with a number
A browser page claims your printer or computer is infected, locks the tab, and displays a support number. The page is just a web page; the number is the scam.
- 4
Instant Ink billing phishing
Emails about a failed Instant Ink payment or an expiring subscription link to a card-capture page.
Warning signs
- You found the support number in a search ad rather than on hp.com
- A pop-up displays a phone number and will not close
- A driver site is not support.hp.com
- You are asked to install remote-access software to fix a printer
- A support plan is sold to you during a call you placed about a driver
- An Instant Ink email asks for card details through a link
- The "technician" asks for your banking details for a refund
Examples
The $249 printer support plan
A user searching for help with a printer that will not connect to Wi-Fi calls the top sponsored number. The "HP technician" takes remote control, shows Event Viewer warnings as proof of infection, and sells a $249 three-year support plan. The printer problem was a router setting, and the remote tool was left installed.
The driver that was not
A search for an HP driver leads to a third-party download site. The installer includes a remote-access client. Three weeks later a "technician" calls, already able to see the screen, and opens with a warning about detected malware.
What to do
- Get support only from hp.com, typed directly. Ignore sponsored search results entirely.
- Download drivers only from support.hp.com.
- Close a pop-up with Task Manager or by force-quitting the browser. Never call the number.
- Never grant remote access to fix a printer.
- Check Instant Ink billing by signing in at hpinstantink.com, not through an email link.
Report it to HP
Report support impersonation through support.hp.com. HP does not advertise support phone numbers through search ads.
Getting your money back
If you paid for a fake support plan, dispute the charge as a service not rendered and cancel the card if the number was given over the phone. Remove any remote-access software installed during the session — check installed programs for AnyDesk, TeamViewer, UltraViewer and similar — and run a full scan. Change passwords from a different device, starting with email and banking, and watch for a follow-up call, since these operations keep customer lists and call back months later posing as a refund department.
Frequently asked questions
Why are there so many fake HP support numbers?
Because printers generate constant support-seeking, and search ads are cheap to buy against those queries. Someone whose printer will not work is motivated and not in a mood to scrutinise the first result. Reach HP by typing hp.com, and ignore sponsored results.
Is it safe to download drivers from a third-party site?
No. Third-party driver sites are a long-established malware vector, and bundled remote-access software from one is a common precursor to a support-scam call. Get drivers from support.hp.com and nowhere else.
A pop-up says my computer is infected and gives a number. Is it real?
No. A web page cannot scan your computer, and neither HP nor Microsoft puts phone numbers in error messages. Close the tab — force-quit the browser if it will not close — and never call the number.
Other companies scammers impersonate
Scams reuse their scripts across brands. If you were contacted about HP, these are the guides worth reading next.