6 common Geek Squad scams and how to defend against them

Scams

Find out about the primary techniques utilized by scammers impersonating Greatest Purchase’s tech help arm and how you can keep away from falling for his or her methods

11 Sep 2024
 • 
,
5 min. learn

For 3 a long time, Geek Squad has been a trusted identify in tech for anybody needing IT help. The Greatest Purchase subsidiary dispenses diagnostics, repairs and recommendation to shoppers throughout the US in-store and on-line – together with 24-hour emergency help. However like many belief manufacturers, it’s additionally ripe for abuse by cybercriminals. The truth is, judging by the variety of complaints sent to the Federal Trade Commission in 2023, Greatest Purchase/Geek Squad is probably the most impersonated model within the US.

Scammers have devised a string of the way to leverage the model and piggyback on its trusted repute to half victims with their money and private data. We’ve rounded up the primary techniques to look out for, and how you can keep away from falling for them.

Geek Squad scams uncovered

All Geek Squad scams are variations on present themes. They use traditional social engineering techniques that not solely impersonate the model, but additionally attempt to create a way of worry or urgency in order that the sufferer responds with out considering via what they’re doing first. As such, most could be categorized below traditional phishing (e-mail) or vishing (voice phishing). Listed below are the most typical we’ve noticed:

• Auto-renewal: You obtain an e-mail reminding you {that a} non-existent subscription to a Greatest Purchase or Geek Squad service is coming to an finish and can auto-renew except you click on a hyperlink. Normally this can take you to a faux Geek Squad website the place you’ll be requested to enter private and monetary data, that allows the scammers to commit identification fraud. Alternatively, the e-mail might say you’ve already been charged and when you dispute it, click on the hyperlink or name a quantity.

• Bill fraud: Equally to the above, you obtain an e-mail containing a faux bill for non-existent providers rendered. Typically, the fraudster will add legitimacy to the rip-off by hacking a real Geek Squad worker’s account, with a view to show your actual account particulars on the e-mail.
• Faux AV renewal: Yet one more variation on the above, this rip-off begins with an e-mail notifying you {that a} non-existent software program subscription is due for renewal and cash will probably be debited out of your account except you click on a hyperlink. In actuality, the scammers are after the identical factor: private and monetary data.

• Bogus password alert: An e-mail claims that somebody tried to entry your Geek Squad account and requests that you simply reset your password to bolster account safety. Alternatively, you could merely obtain a faux request to reset your password in your (probably) non-existent account. Nevertheless, clicking on the hyperlink will take you to a phishing web page that can request private data and login particulars, which may then be utilized by the scammer in follow-on fraud.

• Faux safety/AV: You obtain an e-mail warning you about on-line threats. It would give you a free anti-virus obtain or a paid-for ‘safety plan’ to remain protected on-line. In actuality, the obtain is most certainly to include malware itself, designed to reap data out of your machine. For sure, the “safety plan” is nugatory.
• Tech help: One of many oldest scams going is tech help fraud, the place victims are sometimes referred to as out of the blue by tech ‘specialists’ claiming their machine is compromised with malware. On this variation, they’re from Geek Squad, and can trick you into giving them remote access to your computer, which they may use to obtain precise malware to seek for delicate private and monetary data. Alternatively, they might persuade you to pay for faux ‘antivirus’ software program.

In some circumstances, cybercriminals might use SEO strategies to get faux tech help web site on the high of Google search listings. Should you seek for tech help, discover the location and name the quantity on it, you’ll get straight via to the scammers.

Pink flags to be careful for

The above ought to offer you a good suggestion of the sort of techniques fraudsters will use to half you along with your private data and money. However how do you see the faux from the possibly respectable emails? Be careful for:

• Sender e-mail addresses that don’t look proper. Even when the sender area appears to be like respectable, hover over it. It might be hiding the actual sender e-mail deal with.
• Emails and calls that attempt to create a way of worry and urgency, particularly associated to monetary issues.
• An unsolicited telephone name during which the caller tries to steer you to obtain distant entry software program to your machine because it’s compromised with malware. Keep in mind: they’d don’t have any method of realizing your machine is infested with malware.
• Unsolicited emails containing hyperlinks or attachments that you’re urged to comply with/open. Geek Squad won’t ever do that out of the blue.
• Grammatical and spelling errors – though rising use of generative AI is making it simpler for scammers to compose phishing messages in good English.

Find out how to keep protected from Geek Squad scams

Forewarned is forearmed. Think about the next to maintain your private and monetary information protected from scammers.

• At all times examine the sender e-mail appears to be like respectable earlier than responding. If doubtful, contact Geek Squad to examine on a message – though not by calling the quantity within the e-mail or responding on to it.
• By no means click on on attachments or hyperlinks in unsolicited emails.
• Should you obtain a telephone name out of the blue from Geek Squad, get their identify and the place they’re calling from, put the telephone down and name Geek Squad direct to examine.
• Set up anti-virus from a trusted supplier like ESET on all computer systems and gadgets. This may assist to filter out phishing messages.
• By no means hand out private or monetary data over the telephone. Geek Squad would by no means request this.

Should you assume you’ve been scammed

Within the worst-case state of affairs, you could must:

• Freeze your credit score/debit playing cards, contact your financial institution/card supplier and apply for brand spanking new ones.
• Report fraud in your account and request a refund.
• Change your account passwords and swap on multifactor authentication the place potential.
• Replace your safety software program, run a scan and delete any malware.
• Report the incident to the FTC.
• ollow this link for an identification theft restoration plan.

Above is just not an exhaustive listing of scams. The dangerous guys are continually updating their techniques to realize their targets. It pays to remain alert on-line.