The Fake Geek Squad Renewal Invoice Scam: What It Looks Like and What to Do

You open your email and see an invoice: your "Geek Squad plan" just renewed for $399.99. Your stomach drops. You never signed up for Geek Squad. There's a phone number to call if you want to cancel.

Stop right there. That phone number is the whole scam.

How the scam works

This scam flips the usual script. Instead of asking you to click a link, it wants you to make a phone call. The email shows a big scary charge, usually $300 to $500, for a service you never bought: Geek Squad, Norton, McAfee, or another name you recognize.

There is no charge. Your card hasn't been touched. The scammers are counting on panic to make you call the "billing department" to cancel.

When you call, a friendly "agent" offers to refund you. Then comes the trap. They ask to connect to your computer to "process the refund," or they claim they refunded too much money, show you a faked bank screen, and pressure you to send the difference back with gift cards or a wire transfer. Some victims lose thousands of dollars this way.

The red flags in the example above

• A charge for something you never bought. That's not a billing mistake. It's bait.
• "Call immediately to cancel." Real companies let you cancel online or dispute charges through your bank. Scammers need you on the phone.
• A generic greeting. "Dear Customer" instead of your name. Real invoices from Best Buy include your name and order details.
• The sender's address is off. Look closely: these emails come from Gmail accounts or strange domains, not bestbuy.com.
• Pressure and a deadline. "Within 24 hours" is there to make you act before you think.

What to do

1. Don't call the number. Ever. That's the scam's front door.
2. Check your actual card statement. Open your bank app or website yourself. You'll see there's no $399 charge.
3. Report the email. Mark it as spam or phishing in your email app, and report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
4. Delete it. You don't need to do anything else. No charge existed, so there's nothing to cancel.

If you already called or paid

It's not too late to protect yourself.

1. If they connected to your computer, disconnect it from the internet, restart it, and uninstall any program they installed (often named AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or UltraViewer). Change your email and banking passwords from a different device if you can.
2. If you gave them a card number, call your bank using the number on the back of your card and ask for a replacement.
3. If you sent money by gift card, wire, or Zelle, contact the gift card company or your bank immediately. Speed matters. Then report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
4. If they saw your bank account, tell your bank what happened so they can watch for unusual activity.

This scam works because it hijacks a completely reasonable instinct: fixing a billing mistake. Wanting to cancel a bogus charge doesn't make you gullible. It makes you responsible. The only thing to remember is that the number in the email belongs to the scammer, not the company.