Got a Geek Squad renewal email or invoice? Is it a scam?

What's circulating

If an email or a text arrived that looks like an invoice from a well-known tech support service, with a logo, an invoice or order number and a large charge for a membership or protection plan, and it tells you to call the phone number on the invoice to cancel or to get a refund, here is what the sources say.

This page checks one claim: that such a message is a genuine bill from the company whose logo it carries.

How the scam works

• The FTC warns that scammers are impersonating Geek Squad with a text message or email that says you were or will be charged hundreds of dollars to renew your Geek Squad membership.
• The same FTC alert says the message tells you to call a phone number within 24 hours to dispute the charge or cancel your membership, that if you call the number, which you should not do, the scammer might ask for remote access to your computer, and that if you give it to them they can install spyware programs on your computer, steal your online banking credentials, and drain money from your bank account.
• The FTC also describes a fake refund: some scammers ask for your bank account information to refund your money, fake a transaction, then tell you to buy gift cards to pay them back and to give them the gift card numbers and PINs.

The signs

• An invoice for a membership, a plan or a renewal you do not remember buying.
• A short deadline to call before the charge goes through.
• The only way offered to cancel or to get a refund is the phone number in the message.
• A logo and an invoice prove nothing: WSET described a fake invoice that carries the Geek Squad's logo at the top and a charge that will renew and be debited from an account within 24 hours.
• The sender's address: TrendLife says official Geek Squad emails come from a @bestbuy.com domain, and that an address that is anything different, such as a random series of letters and numbers, is likely a scam.

What to do

• Do not call the number, reply, click a link or open the attachment.
• If you think the charge might be genuine, contact the company using a phone number you know is genuine, never the number in the message.
• TrendLife advises verifying any billing information by logging into your actual Geek Squad or Best Buy account, never by clicking on links in the email.
• Check your credit card or bank account for a charge you did not authorize, and if you see one, report it to the institution and ask it to reverse the charge.
• Never pay anyone with gift cards.
• Got the invoice by email or text? Paste it into VOM before you call anyone.

I already called the number. What now?

• If you shared card or bank details, TrendLife says to check your bank account and credit card statements immediately for any unauthorized transactions.
• TrendLife adds that you may also want to freeze your credit if you suspect identity theft.
• If you see a charge you did not make, report it to the institution and ask it to reverse the charge and give you back your money.
• If you let the caller onto your computer, disconnect it from the internet, uninstall the remote access program they had you install, and change your email and bank passwords from another device.
• Do not act on anything the caller told you to do.

Where to report

• TrendLife says you can forward the email to Geek Squad at abuse@bestbuy.com or to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Frequently asked questions

Never had a membership? Then why the invoice?

The FTC says scammers are at it again, impersonating well-known businesses and trying to rip people off, and that this time they are pretending to be from Geek Squad, Best Buy's tech support service.

Whether or not you ever had a plan, treat the invoice as bait.

Have a plan? Could the renewal be genuine?

Check it without the message: TrendLife says to verify any billing information by logging into your actual Geek Squad or Best Buy account, never by clicking on links in the email.

If you want to check anyway, use a phone number or an account page you already know, never the one in the message.