What is the Geek Squad Scam & How to Avoid It? [2024]
Reviewed by Huzaifa Haroon- In the Geek Squad scam, a bad actor emails you pretending to be part of the Geek Squad from Best Buy.
- They will often ask for your personal information like banking details or create a sense of urgency to take an action, like sending them money.
- Stay vigilante if you spot anything odd, make sure to change your bank passwords and lock your account. Immediately inform both your bank and Best Buy about this scam attempt.
Have you heard of the Geek Squad scam? Geek Squad is known for offering products and services related to electronic devices. Some tricky people are pretending to be them to trick you into sharing personal and financial information.
Be careful if you get a message that says it’s from Geek Squad! It might be a scam connected with Best Buy. In this guide, we will talk about these sneaky emails, show you how to know if it’s a scam, and share tips on keeping these scams away from your system.
With the rise of such scams, staying alert has never been more crucial. We’ll also guide you on what to do if you’ve already been tricked, ensuring you’re not left feeling helpless.
Table of Contents:
What is the Geek Squad email scam?
The Geek Squad email scam is when scammers send you a fake email pretending to be from Geek Squad, the tech support part of Best Buy. This email will notify you about a subscription renewal or an order you didn’t know about.
These cybercriminals are smart! They use fake numbers for invoices and make-up renewal dates and give other false order details to make the email look real. They even use the official logos and special banners, so you believe it’s from Geek Squad.
The scam might take a variety of shapes, but the cybercriminals’ ultimate goal is to steal as much money as possible from their victims.
Read More: Text Mail Subscriber – How to Protect Yourself Against the Scam
How does the Geek Squad email scam work?
Imagine getting an email that looks just like it’s from Geek Squad, notifying you there’s an automatic renewal for a computer safety plan. The email is super helpful and even gives a phone number to call if you want to cancel.
So, believing it’s real, the person calls the number. The person talking on the phone is a sneaky scammer pretending to be a Geek Squad assistant. This fake helper asks all sorts of questions to check who the caller is, but they are just trying to get personal and bank details from you.
Sometimes, the trick goes further. The scammer can try to install harmful software on the person’s computer or lead them to fake sites to collect more personal info. To seem trustworthy, they might say the “subscription” is canceled. But, in the end, they use the stolen information for several illegal purposes.
How do common email scams work?
Email scams are tricky games that play on people’s weaknesses. The most common email scam is “phishing.” In this scam, the scammers send many emails pretending to be a company or person you trust, trying to get you to click on some link or download things that can harm your computer and can steal information.
These links might take you to fake sign-in pages where they try to steal your password, or they might directly put harmful stuff on your system. There’s also a trick called the “advance-fee scam.” In this scam, they’ll promise you a significant amount of money, but they’ll ask you to pay a small fee upfront – a fee they intend to keep.
Another sneaky email scam is “spoofing“. This is when they change the email to look like it’s from a friend, making you trust it more. Another common scam is vishing (voice phishing), in which the scammers ask you to call a particular number and try to get personal information by applying different tricky talks.
All these scams have one thing in common: deception. They play on your curiosity, trust, or hope of making money to trick you into falling for it.
Read More: Trust Wallet Scams – What Are They & How to Protect Yourself
Red flags of the Geek Squad email scam
First, it’s crucial to understand and spot the common signs of scams like the Geek Squad email scam. These scams usually have the following traits:
1. Provoking a strong emotion
Geek Squad email scammers try to trick you when you’re feeling pleased, scared, mad, or greedy. When you’re all emotional, you might not be as careful as usual.
2. Creating urgency
Scammers make you feel you have to hurry or you’ll miss out or lose something. This is called FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. That rush can make you ignore that little voice that says something’s wrong.
3. Offering a deal that’s too good to be true
Free money or incredible deals can blind you with greed, making you do stuff you wouldn’t usually do. This trick is used in various scams, including the Geek Squad one.
4. Check for grammatical and spelling mistakes
If an email has lots of mistakes, be suspicious. These mistakes can be a sign it’s a scam, and luckily, Geek Squad scam emails often have many. So, you can spot them easily.
5. Verify the sender’s email address
Look at the sender’s email. It might be a scam if it ends with something like @gmail.com or @yahoo.com instead of the company’s official domain.
6. Check the graphics and logo
Logos in scam emails often look wrong – they might be blurry, cropped weirdly, or outdated. Check the official website for the current logo so you don’t fall for these tricks.
7. Email requires you to submit personal information
Some scam emails might try to make you click on links leading to pages where they ask for personal details. Never give them away! Best Buy, the company behind Geek Squad, never asks for this info in emails, so it’s a scam if an email does.
We also have a dedicated guide on What are Tech Support Scams & How to Avoid Them that you can check out to stay up to date and informed on how to protect yourself in these situations.
Steps to take if victimized by the Geek Squad email scam
Realizing a scam has tricked you can be upsetting, leaving you unsure what to do next. But staying calm, acting fast, and thinking clearly are super important. If you think Geek Squad email scammers have scammed you, here’s what you need to do right away:
1. Cease all communication
Immediately stop any chat with the person trying to scam you. It’s important to cut off any contact with these tricky folks quickly.
2. Safeguard your finances
If you’ve shared any bank details, get in touch with your bank right away. They’ll watch your account for any odd actions and guide you on what to do next.
3. Device’s safety
These scammers might want you to click a link or download some app on your system. These links should be checked before clicking on them. Run a virus or malware scan on your system if you suspect something is wrong.
4. Secure your online accounts
Change your passwords if you open any links the scammer sent or think they got into one of your accounts. To be extra safe, think about turning off your internet or webcam to go offline so no one can spy on you.
How to prevent yourself from Geek Squad email-like scams
Getting a fake Geek Squad scam email can be alarming, but don’t worry! Here’s what you should do if you get one:
- First, think. Did you buy something at Best Buy recently? If not, it’s strange for Geek Squad to email you.
- Look at the currency in the email. If it’s not what you use where you live, it’s probably a scam.
- Check your bank or card account. See if the money’s gone. If not, you’re okay.
- Don’t give away personal info like your bank details, card number, or birth date in emails or texts. If it were Geek Squad, they wouldn’t ask – they already know it.
- Don’t click any links in the email.
- And don’t call any phone numbers in the email either.
Read More: Phone Number 425-635-2970 – Is it a scam?
Final Thoughts
It’s crucial to stay alert and protect yourself from the Geek Squad email scam. These fake emails trick you into sharing personal and financial details. Always think and verify before taking action.
Remember, if you haven’t used Geek Squad services recently, it’s probably a scam if you receive an unexpected renewal email. Be aware of unfamiliar currency signs and double-check your bank statements for unexpected charges.
Never share sensitive information through email or text, and avoid clicking on links or calling numbers provided in suspicious emails. Familiarize yourself with common red flags of scams and take immediate action if you think you’ve fallen victim.
Being informed and cautious is your best defense against these sneaky online scams! Stay safe and secure in the digital world by always being one step ahead of the scammers.
FAQs
If you get a scam email, contact Best Buy about it. This lets them know someone is using their name to scam people. You can report it to Geek Squad or the customer service team.
Most of the time, nothing wrong will happen if you just open a spam email. But don’t click links in emails from people or companies you don’t know or trust. Clicking links might make your system catch a virus or other harmful software.
Geek Squad offers lots of help! They can help you start using, installing, or fixing many different tech gadgets and appliances, no matter where you bought them.
Phishing emails are tricky emails scammers send, trying to fool people into thinking a trusted company sent them. They want you to download fake safety software or give them your info.
Reviewed by Huzaifa Haroon
