12:45pm Friday 21st November 2008
A computer shop in Balham was caught installing illegal software onto computers for customers to buy, it was announced this week.
Atlas Computer Centre in Balham High Road was rumbled by Microsoft’s investigation team in July during a shop patrol.
Inspectors found Microsoft software had been cloned and installed onto hard disks, putting customers at risk from identity theft and viruses.
Graham Arthur, anti-piracy attorney at Microsoft UK said: “Microsoft has a duty to protect consumers and also to look out for genuine businesses, who are working hard and trading honestly, but yet are being left out of pocket by those who attempt to dupe consumers by acting illegally.
“What most people don’t realise is that the PC they bought from their local computer shop could have come with counterfeit software that is likely to be infected or harmful.
“It puts PC users at risk of losing personal information such as bank details, or even family photo albums and music collections saved on their computers.”
The owner, Abdul Salam, was told he faced legal action but the matter was settled outside of court with a cash sum which Microsoft would not disclose.
Mr Salam promised to stop selling illegal computer programs and to train his staff on proper installation.
He said: “We recognise that we weren’t installing Microsoft software correctly, and that’s something we take seriously. We’ll be working with Microsoft over the next few weeks to make sure what we do falls within their software rules from now on.
“It’s good to see Microsoft working with small computer shops like ours to ensure we’re up to speed on the right way to use and sell their software.”
The crackdown, which took place over the summer, caught out eight other businesses in the UK, which also went for settlements.
Les Eames, Wandsworth’s chief trading standards officer said: “Wandsworth welcomes Microsoft’s action against Atlas Computer Centre. Consumer protection is a priority and we work to ensure customers are given a fair deal and aren’t being ripped off when they buy goods or services.”
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