Geek Squad Scam Calls: Beware

If you receive unsolicited or unexpected calls where the callers claim they are from Geek Squad and claim they need to access to your computer, hang up. Scammers are calling potential victims and are pretending to be from Geek Squad. The scammers' aim is to gain access to their potential victims' computers and steal their account credentials, financial and personal information by installing spyware and other malware.

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Geek Squad Scam Calls  Beware

If you have already been tricked, please change your passwords, scan your computer for malware, check and report any fraudulent activities to their bank.

Remember, Geek Squad will never reach out to you in a phone call, you must contact them first. And, Geek Squad will always ask you for your membership number before proceeding. But, if you are still unsure if the call is legitimate, hangup and call Geek Squad directly at 1-800-433-5778.

And, remember never to give out or "verify" personal information to anyone who calls you over the phone. This goes for social security numbers, banking numbers, credit card numbers and anything personal.

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 6)

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May 7, 2021 at 1:16 PM by
Geek Squad Scam Calls: Beware
info

"From: Stephanie Wynter

Sent: Friday, May 7, 2021, 2:46 AM

Subject: Your invoice settlement

Dear Customer,

We are grateful for the pleasure of serving you. You have been charged 345 for an annual renewal for the Best Buy - Geek Squad computer & tablet services.

Your TXN ID: K82FT025WY7Y

Please call us now if you have any queries. Call us now at 1 (831) 612-3886

If you want a cancellation and instant refund for the computer & tablet services of Best Buy, Please call us immediately at 1 (831) 612-3886

Thanks

Best Buy® Customer Care

1 (831) 610-3357

1 (831) 612-3816

Copyright © 2021 Best Buy®. All Rights Reserved."

Here is another scam.

Delete

October 12, 2020 at 10:19 AM by
Geek Squad Scam Calls: Beware
an anonymous user from: Houston, Texas, United States

Yes, the scamming Geek Squad is at it again. My comment is the same as the four previous ones. I'm going to report the call to the FTC.If anyone says you "have to be on your computer" to begin/renew/cancel your membership it's a big RED FLAG. Be safe out there! All scammers want is your hard-earned $$$.JERKS!

Delete

October 5, 2020 at 1:43 PM by
Geek Squad Scam Calls: Beware
an anonymous user from: Centerville, Utah, United States

I just got a call from an automated machine telling me that I would have an auto-renewal charge of $299.99 unless I called them back and cancelled. I called, because the quality of the message was poor, to find out exactly what the renewal was for. When the man (foreign accent) said it was for Geek Squad I knew it was a lie as I’ve never purchased a computer or a service through Best Buy. I told him that, and he said he could see the account—impossible since I’d not given him a name or account number to work with yet. The phone number they used was (866) 868-2430.

Delete

September 3, 2020 at 2:02 PM by
Geek Squad Scam Calls: Beware
an anonymous user from: Gadsden, Alabama, United States

I got a call saying they were from Geek Squad and they were charging my credit card $465.00 for renewal of my subscription. I could cancel for a full refund but I needed to be on my computer. I told her I was driving home and was told they would call me back in 30 minutes.

When I got home I called Geek Squad and,of course, there is a wait time of 1 hour.

Almost positive this is a scam. I have no recollection of having a subscription and when the scammer called back (this time a man) I told him I would just call Geek Squad directly to take care of it. He actually gave me an employee ID number and when I still insisted on calling them myself he hung up on me. The numbers they called from are 864-840-5734, 319-349-1423.

Delete

August 11, 2020 at 12:11 PM by
Geek Squad Scam Calls: Beware
an anonymous user from: Batavia, Iowa, United States

Received a call from 940.287-9507. Stated from GeekSquad, going to charge my account $99.00 for auto-renew my account for the computer I purchased from Best Buy. Told him I had returned that computer & had no subscription that I knew it f. He asked if I had a computer, and wanted me to log in so he could connect with me...AHA! Knew it was a scam. Told him I would call Best Buy & Geek Squad to check & he hung up...was foreign sounding male.

Delete

August 11, 2020 at 1:26 PM by
Geek Squad Scam Calls: Beware
an anonymous user from: Temple, Texas, United States

I just got a call about 45 minutes ago and have never used Geek Squad as husband handles all computer issues...Guy asked me to remove address that was in my address bar and replace it with what he told me. I called him out for being a scammer. He said I could get a refund of $200, rather impossible since I have never paid for the service or I would receive a bill, I said to send a bill...

Delete

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

Geek Squad Scam Calls: Beware