Canon Printer Set-up Scam

[HLily]

Canon needs to be aware that in their documentation for setting up a new printer, the link that Canon directs you to ij.start.canon/connect redirects you to a scam site that is a variation on that URL: ij.start-canon. This is NOT an official Canon site. Unfortunately, it is very misleading when you are trying to set up a new printer and asks you to register and pay a small amount - in my case $4 - for a year of service. This sounded necessary when I just did my new printer - but after registering, it became clear that this was NOT Canon. I have tried to delete my account, but they don't reply. 

This issue seems to have been going on for several years and Canon has not addressed the problem - the link they tell you to go to is still being hijacked and consumers need to be aware that they are directed to a site that is NOT affiliated with Canon.

They even have a place in their contact info that says "Tech Support Fraud/Scam Prevention - Canon Printer Driver ij.start.canon" - correct URL but it leads to https://ij.start-canon.com/tech-support-fraud-scam-prevention/ 

I also think that Canon should help consumers to get their accounts with this fraudulent company deleted, and reimburse us for any expenses that were incurred thinking we were going to a legit Canon site.

Do better Canon!

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

I'm sorry that you've had an issue.  With that said, and with all due respect, it is your responsibility, and yours alone to ensure the URL and integrity of the sites you are visiting.  Canon is not responsible for the websites that you visit on your computer.

When I visit the URL without the hyphen, I do not get redirected.  I'm sorry if this is not the answer you might want to hear, but the fact remains that Canon has no control of the URLs or sites you visit in your browser.  They are not financially responsible or obligated to do anything with a fraudsters website.  The URL provided in the documentation takes you to the IJ setup website, a legitimate Canon owned and operated website.  

Scammers are tricky and mischievous.  These people are criminals.  Canon is a technology company.  They are not the internet police.  

Many people don't want to admit they allowed this to happen.  Or worse, still went forward after their gut told him something was wrong.  We hear stories like this frequently.  Also from people who have provided financial information, given these scammers access to their computer and more.  It's very unfortunate.   However, it's not Canon's fault.  They didn't do this.  

If you have provided these criminals with any type of financial information, I suggest you contact your financial institution, close your credit card acct and request a replacement card.  If you have allowed these people access to your computer, I suggest you have it looked at by a qualified IT professional If you are not able or comfortable evaluating the integrity or security of your system.

As I said, these stories are all unfortunate but is not something Canon can control. 

[HLily]

Thanks for your reply. I should point out that I used the link to the site Canon had in their documentation - I checked carefully and what I entered was what Canon said. That link was redirected to the scam site, which appeared to be a legit Canon site.

My point is that if Canon knew about this issue with their URL - I found that it had been documented over a year ago on these forums - why do they continue to use a URL that can easily lead to these problems?

Doing that is Canon's problem - and they should at least take some responsibility for continuing to use a URL that they know can be redirected. 

[shadowsports]

It's your browser, not Canon.  Browsers support a technology called predictive text.  This means that the browser will attempt to anticipate and complete a URL. It's not a redirect. It's the browser trying to anticipate what you're looking for.  You can turn it off in settings if you don't want it to make suggestions.  This is supported in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, etc. 😉

Here's an example: 

To disable URL autocomplete in Chrome, navigate to Chrome's settings, then to "Sync and Google services", and toggle off "Autocomplete searches and URLs". This will remove the automatic suggestions that appear when typing in the address bar. 

[Stephen]

Hey there!

Unfortunately, Canon doesn't own the whole Internet, so we can't control who sets up various websites and tries to trick people to get them to spend money on their fraudulent services. We have been open and honest about this for years: https://www.usa.canon.com/about-us/to-our-customers/official-canon-product-support 

[Stephen]

Additionally, the link printed on the card: https://ij.start.canon, should not be entered into Google, Bing, AOL, Ask Jeeves, ChatGPT, Grok, or any other search engine. You put it in your address bar at the top. it doesn't end in .com, it ends in .canon 
I've attached a screenshot that shows the address bar, and how not to end up in the wrong spot:

[HLily]

All I know is that I carefully typed the link provided by Canon on their set up instructions that came with the printer into my SEARCH BAR in Chrome - not into a Google search. It is https://ij.start.canon/connect  - no .com - and that lead to ij.start-canon - a different site.

Why doesn't Canon point to a printer-specific site: https://www.usa.canon.com/support/p/pixma-ts7720 instead? Canon support did finally give me that link to get the drivers. 

As this is just a discussion forum, I don't expect any answers - just hoped that this might be something Canon might want to know about.

[Stephen]

Because people don't realize that the Chrome search bar is, in fact, a Google search, let alone type an entire URL complete with capital letters, numbers, and entire model numbers. 

We're aware of the scammers. Our legal team goes after every single one that they can, but most of the scammers aren't in the United States, so there isn't anything our lawyers can do. 

[HLily]

And just to show you - here's an image from the "other" site - listing Canon's actual URL - which will then not lead to Canon. The URL for that page is https://ij.start-canon.com/

So it isn't just a typing error - they are advertising YOUR link on their site - but clicking it doesn't go to Canon.