A lawsuit seeking class action status accuses rent-to-own retailer Aaron's of spying on its customers through special devices installed in leased computers.
The complaint was filed by a Wyoming couple who were confronted by a local Aaron's store manager with a picture of them using the Dell Inspiron laptop they leased.
The manager, Christopher Mendoza, showed up at Brian and Crystal Byrd's doorsteps to take away their computer because they allegedly hadn't made the required payments.
Mr. Byrd informed Mendoza that he is mistaken and that the laptop was paid in full, however, during the conversation, the manager produced a remotely taken photo of him using the computer.
When asked how it was obtained, the manager allegedly said that he wasn't supposed to reveal its existence. The couple went to the police, which subsequently launched an investigation.
According to the complaint, the law enforcement investigation determined that Aaron's employees installed a spying device called PC Rental Agent, which is capable of taking photographs and logging keystrokes remotely, on all computers.
The plaintiffs allege that this was done with the knowledge of Aaron's regional managers, who are also the only ones capable of changing the settings of the devices.
Read more
