ZeoBIT LLC has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it deceptively advertised the functionality of its MacKeeper software. If you purchased MacKeeper software on or before July 8, 2015, you may be entitled to a cash payment from the class action settlement.

The MacKeeper class action lawsuit, filed in May 2014 by plaintiff Holly Yencha, alleges ZeoBIT deceptively advertised and sold MacKeeper software as being capable of enhancing an Apple computer’s speed, performance and security by detecting and eliminating harmful errors and threats, but that the software actually cannot perform these advertised functions. Yencha alleges that the MacKeeper software identifies problems that don’t exist and generates false error messages to scare users into purchasing an upgrade.

According to Yencha’s class action lawsuit, she initially downloaded a free trial version of MacKeeper, which prompted her to conduct a diagnostic scan. Following this diagnostic scan, MacKeeper allegedly identified thousands of issues that caused Yencha’s computer to be in “critical” condition. Yencha claims she was encouraged to purchase a full, registered version of the MacKeeper software for $39.95 to fully repair her computer.

However, Yencha alleges that neither the free trial nor the full version of the MacKeeper software perform reliable diagnostic testing. “Instead, ZeoBIT intentionally designed MacKeeper to invariably and ominously report that a user’s Mac needs repair and is at-risk due to harmful (but fabricated) errors, privacy threats, and other computer programs, regardless of the computer’s actual condition,” she says in the MacKeeper class action lawsuit.







ZeoBIT denies that it engaged in any wrongdoing, but it has agreed to pay $2 million to settle the MacKeeper class action lawsuit in order to avoid the expense and uncertainty of ongoing litigation.

UPDATE: On Mar. 7, 2016, Top Class Actions readers started reporting that they received checks in the mail from the MacKeeper class action settlement!