Scam of the day – June 3, 2024 – Geek Squad Imposter Scam

Steven Weisman, Esq.

June 2

In yesterday's Scam of the day I told you that the FTC recently disclosed that the company most impersonated by scammers in an attempt lure people into making a payment last year was Geek Squad. Geek Squad is a subsidiary of big box store chain Best Buy and it offers excellent tech support for electronic devices including televisions and computers. They are a popular company used by many people. Lately, scammers have been sending phishing emails that appear to be Geek Squad invoices. Reproduced below is one of those imposter phishing emails presently circulating. It looked like a legitimate email from Geek Squad, although the grammar was not particularly good which is one of many indications that it was a scam. These types of phishing emails are intended to lure you into contacting the scammers where you will be prompted to provide information that will lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft. This email is intended to get you to respond by calling the phone number contained in the email to dispute the bill. If you do call the number you will be prompted to provide personal information that would be used to make you a victim of identity theft.

Here is the email that is presently circulating:

Payment Processed to GEEK~SQUAD

Dear Customer,

Thank you for your order.

Please review your payment amount below, we have attached a PDF detailing your order invoice and terms of your subscription.

Contact Support +1 802 209 0705 Reach out to us anytime. We'll be happy to help you.

------Product Details: ------

GEEK~SQUAD® Network Security - Auto Renewal 3 Years subscription
Invoice Number: GT-261994
Invoice Date: 06/10/2022
Payment Method: Online
Amount: 339.99 USD

We have charged you 339.99 USD for the next 3 Years subscription. We tried to contact you on your registered Phone number, Deduction of amount will appear on your bank account within 48 hours.

If you have any Question or Wish to cancel the Renewal, Please connect us on +1 802 209 0705

Sincerely,
© 2022 GEEK~SQUAD - All Rights Reserved
+1 802 209 0705

You're receiving this email because you signed up for a GEEK~SQUAD account.

TIPS

Never click on links or download attachments in emails or text messages unless you have absolutely confirmed that they are legitimate and don't call companies at telephone numbers that appear in the email such as this one. Instead, if the email appears to come from a legitimate company, you can call them at a telephone number you confirm is legitimate. In the case of Geek Squad their customer service number is actually 800-433-5778. The phone number in the email is not that of the Geek Squad and the area code is that of Hawaii. Never call the number that appears in these types of emails.

An indication that this is not legitimate and is a phishing email is the fact that nowhere in the email does your name appear.

This particular phishing email didn't even carry the logo of Geek Squad although even it did, it would not be an indication that it is legitimate as it is quite simple to counterfeit a legitimate logo to give the email the appearance of legitimacy.

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Phone calls, emails, and text messages are among the primary ways that scam artists, the only criminals we call artists, contact their targeted victims. Scammers have a knowledge of psychology that Freud would have envied, and they are adept at luring us to click on malware-infected links, provide personal information that can lead to identity theft, or make a payment. Anyone can be scammed. For years, I have told you, "Trust me, you can't trust anyone," and that you should be skeptical of emails, phone calls, and text messages prompting you to act. But how can you know if a phone call, email, or text message is legitimate? Fortunately, there is a terrific new product called ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali that you can turn to quickly to let you know if that communication is a scam. It can be a lifesaver. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn't offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you're a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they'll truly value, contact Iris at IrisIdentityProtection.com/Scamicide to learn how you can get started. Join a growing list of companies – such as Staples – that have recognized that providing ScamAssist to its customers helps protect them and generates goodwill.