Geek Squad Scam: How to Spot a Fake Renewal Invoice Email

A Geek Squad scam is a fake email or text that looks like an invoice from Geek Squad or Best Buy, saying your tech support plan has renewed and your account has been charged. It gives a phone number to call if you want to cancel. The people on that line aren’t Best Buy: they try to get remote access to your computer or trick you into “returning” a refund overpayment. If you get one, don’t call the number or reply. Check your real bank or card statement, and contact Best Buy or Geek Squad directly through its official website or a store if you’re unsure.

These messages are built to make you worried and act fast, and they work on careful people too. If you’ve already called, shared access or sent money, the steps below will help you limit the damage.

How the Geek Squad scam works

The pattern has changed little over the years, because it keeps working.

1. The fake invoice arrives. An email, sometimes a text, says a Geek Squad or Best Buy protection plan, antivirus subscription or support package has automatically renewed. It shows a charge amount large enough to worry you, an order number and a support number.
2. You call to cancel. You didn’t order it, so you call to get your money back. That is the point of the email.
3. The “agent” asks for remote access. To “process the refund”, they ask you to install a remote access app or visit a website that gives them control of your computer.
4. The refund “goes wrong”. They ask you to log in to your online banking while they’re connected, then claim they accidentally refunded far too much. What you’re actually seeing is often money moved between your own accounts, or a page they’ve edited to show a fake balance.
5. They ask you to send back the difference. They’ll say they’ll lose their job, and push you to return the “extra” by gift cards, wire transfer, crypto, a payment app or cash mailed or handed to a courier.

Some versions skip the refund story and simply collect your card details “to cancel”, sell you a fake security fix, or install software that lets them come back later. The same script is used with other brand names, which we cover in our guides to the Microsoft scam, the Apple scam and the PayPal invoice scam.

Warning signs of a fake Geek Squad email

• You don’t have a Geek Squad plan, or you’ve never bought anything from Best Buy.
• The sender’s address isn’t Best Buy’s. Look past the display name. Scam emails often come from free email accounts or random domains. Our guide on how to spot a phishing email shows how to check.
• The main call to action is a phone number, often repeated several times, with little else you can do.
• The invoice is an attachment or an image, which scammers use to get past spam filters.
• Urgency: you must call within 24 or 48 hours to cancel or get a refund.
• Odd details, such as a generic greeting, mismatched logos, strange formatting or an order for a product you’ve never heard of.
• The charge isn’t on your statement. This is the clearest sign of all.

On a call, the warning signs are even clearer:

• They ask you to install remote access software so they can issue a refund.
• They ask you to log in to your bank while they’re connected to your computer.
• They claim they refunded too much and need you to send some back.
• They want payment by gift card, wire, crypto, payment app or cash.
• They tell you not to talk to your bank, or give you a story to tell the bank teller.

How to check whether the charge is real

1. Don’t use anything in the email: not the phone number, not the links, not the reply button.
2. Check your bank and card statements through your banking app or website. A fake invoice usually doesn’t match any real charge.
3. Check your Best Buy account by typing the website address yourself or opening the official app, and look at your orders and memberships.
4. Contact Best Buy or Geek Squad directly if you’re still unsure. Best Buy says that if you’re unsure whether a message is really from it, you should contact it directly through its official website or a store rather than using the details in the message.

What to do right now if you called or gave access

Work through whatever applies to you. The earlier you do this, the more you can protect.

1. Hang up and stop contact. Don’t call back, even if they call you with “one last step”.
2. Disconnect the computer from the internet if they had remote access. Turn off Wi-Fi or unplug the network cable.
3. Remove the remote access software. Uninstall any program they asked you to install, then run a full scan with reputable security software. If you’re not confident doing this, take the computer to a trusted local repair shop. If you use a Best Buy store, go in person rather than using any number from the scam.
4. Call your bank and card issuers using the numbers on your cards. Tell them a scammer may have seen or accessed your online banking. Ask them to check for transfers, new payees or changes, and to freeze or replace cards if needed.
5. Change your passwords from a different, clean device, starting with email and banking. Turn on two-factor authentication. Our my account was hacked guide covers the steps.
6. If you bought gift cards, contact the company that issued them right away with the card numbers and receipts, and ask whether the balance can be frozen. See our gift card scams guide.
7. If you shared your Social Security number or other identity details, consider a credit freeze and read what to do if your identity is stolen.
8. Save the evidence: the email, the phone number, call times, any remote access session IDs, receipts and transaction details.

When you call your bank, you can say:

I was the victim of a tech support scam. Someone had remote access to my computer while I was logged in to online banking. Can you check for any transfers or account changes, secure my account and tell me what I can dispute?

Where to report a Geek Squad scam

• ReportFraud.ftc.gov for the fake invoice and any calls.
• The FBI’s IC3 (ic3.gov), especially if you lost money or gave remote access. Include phone numbers, email addresses and payment details.
• Best Buy, through its official website, so it knows its brand is being used.
• Your email provider’s report phishing option, so similar messages get filtered.
• Forward it to 7726 if it arrived as a text.
• IdentityTheft.gov if your identity details were used or may be misused.
• Your state attorney general’s consumer protection office, which often tracks tech support scams.

For all the routes in one place, see how to report a scammer.

Can you get your money back?

It depends on how the money left your account.

How you paid	What you can try
Credit or debit card	Ask your card issuer to dispute the charge. Card payments usually have the strongest protections, especially if you report quickly.
Bank transfer or wire	Report it as fraud to your bank immediately. A recall is sometimes possible if the money hasn’t been withdrawn; once collected, wires are usually very hard to reverse.
Gift cards	Contact the card issuer with the card numbers. If the balance hasn’t been spent, it can sometimes be frozen.
Payment apps	Report it in the app and to your bank. Payments you sent yourself are often harder to recover.
Crypto or cash	Usually impossible to reverse. Report to IC3 with wallet addresses or courier details anyway.

After a tech support scam, many victims get follow-up calls offering to recover their money for a fee, sometimes from people claiming to be Best Buy, the FTC or a law firm. That is almost always a second scam. Our guide to recovery scams explains how they work.

Worked example: the renewal email

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real person. Ray, who is retired, gets an email saying his “Geek Squad Total Protection” has renewed and he’s been charged a large annual fee. He doesn’t remember signing up, so he calls the number to cancel.

A friendly man says he can refund it and asks Ray to install a program so he can “open the refund form”. Ray then logs in to his bank to confirm the refund. The man says he typed an extra zero and refunded ten times too much, and asks Ray to buy gift cards to return the difference. That’s when Ray’s daughter walks in and tells him to hang up.

They unplug the computer, call the bank on the number on Ray’s card and learn that the “refund” was money moved from his savings to his checking account. Nothing had actually left the bank yet. The bank secures the account, Ray’s daughter changes his passwords from her phone, and they take the computer to a local repair shop to remove the software. They report the email and call at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov.

How to protect yourself next time

• Check statements, not emails. If you’re told you’ve been charged, look in your bank or card app first.
• Never call a number from an unexpected invoice. Find the company’s contact details yourself.
• Only allow remote access when you started the support request yourself, through a company’s official website or app, and never while your banking is open.
• Treat gift card requests as a scam signal. No legitimate business asks to be paid or repaid in gift cards.
• Talk to older relatives about this scam. It often targets people who are less confident with technology, and a quick heads-up can stop it.
• Keep devices updated and use security software, so any scare message about a virus is easier to dismiss.

If your business is being impersonated

Local IT and computer repair businesses are sometimes impersonated in the same way, with fake invoices using their name. If customers contact you about charges you never made, post a clear notice on your website and social profiles, report the fake emails and numbers, and see what to do if someone is impersonating you online. If confused customers leave reviews blaming you for the scam, our review management service can help you respond and report reviews that break platform rules.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Calling the number to cancel. That call is where the scam happens.
• Letting someone control your computer while banking is open.
• Believing an “overpaid refund” on your screen. It’s often your own money moved between accounts, or a doctored page.
• Keeping it secret out of embarrassment. Tell your bank quickly; they see these scams regularly.
• Paying a “recovery” service. Upfront fees to get money back are a second scam.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Geek Squad renewal email a scam?

If you weren’t expecting it and the charge doesn’t appear on your bank or card statement, it’s almost certainly a scam. Don’t call the number. Check your real accounts and contact Best Buy directly through its official website or a store if you’re unsure.

What happens if I called the number in a fake Geek Squad email?

If you only talked and shared nothing, block the number and watch your accounts. If you gave remote access, card details or banking logins, disconnect your computer, remove any software they installed, call your bank and change your passwords from another device.

Why do scammers want remote access to my computer?

Remote access lets them see and control your screen, so they can view your banking, move money between your accounts to fake a refund, install software or steal saved passwords.

Does Geek Squad ask you to send back a refund with gift cards?

No legitimate company asks you to return a refund with gift cards, crypto, wire transfers or cash. Anyone who does is running a scam.

Can I get my money back after a Geek Squad scam?

Sometimes. Card payments can often be disputed and bank transfers occasionally recalled if you act fast. Gift cards, crypto and cash are much harder to recover. Contact your bank and the payment provider right away.