Scams explained
What is the Geek Squad renewal email scam?
An email or text says your Geek Squad, Norton or McAfee subscription has renewed and you were charged a few hundred dollars. It gives a phone number to call to cancel. The person who answers offers a refund, asks to connect to your computer, and then claims too much was refunded and asks you to send the difference back.
Drawn from 80 news stories in the Elderus archive. Last updated October 17, 2026.
If a message like this reached you, you were right to stop and look it up. These are professional operations, and they reach careful people every day.
What our news archive shows
80 news stories in the Elderus archive mention the Geek Squad renewal email scam, the earliest from March 2024. Together they name 18 states. The places named most often: Ohio (4), New Jersey (4), California (3), New York (3) and Michigan (2).
What people were asked to hand over
Across the 17 stories with this scam in the headline:
Stories added each month in 2026
The busiest month so far this year was May 2026, with 3 stories.
What does the Geek Squad renewal email scam look like?
- An invoice or receipt for a protection plan or antivirus renewal you do not remember buying, often between $300 and $500.
- A phone number to call "if you did not authorize this charge."
- A mix of company names, for example Geek Squad and Norton on the same invoice, or a sender address that has nothing to do with Best Buy.
- Sometimes it arrives as a PDF, or as an invoice sent through a real payment or shopping app.
How does the Geek Squad renewal email scam work?
- The bill is meant to make you call. Nothing has actually been charged.
- On the call, someone posing as a refund agent asks you to install a remote-access program, such as AnyDesk, so they can process the refund.
- With control of the screen, they make it look as if a large amount landed in your bank account, then ask you to return the "extra" by wire transfer, gift cards, cash or cryptocurrency.
How it has shown up in the news
An email billed $489.99 for a Geek Squad protection plan the reader never signed up for, with a phone number to call to dispute it.
Read the story →In New Jersey, a call about an emailed Norton bill led to remote access to a computer, where the callers made a refund appear far larger than it was.
Read the story →Prosecutors in New York charged a man accused of sending Geek Squad auto-renewal emails to older people and posing as a Best Buy employee.
Read the story →What should I do if I get one?
- Check whether you have a subscription by signing in to the company's real website yourself or calling the number on a past statement. Leave the number in the email alone.
- If you let someone onto your computer, shut it down and have it checked by a repair shop you choose. Change your passwords from a different device.
- If you gave bank or card details, or sent money, call the bank using the number on the back of your card.
Call the bank or card company first, using the number on the back of your card. The sooner they hear, the more they can stop. Then report it. Step-by-step help if you were scammed →
Not sure whether a message is a scam? Paste it into the Scam Checker →
Who do I report it to?
Your state's Adult Protective Services and attorney general take reports too. Find the numbers for Ohio, New Jersey, California, New York, or any state.
Common questions
Does Geek Squad really send renewal emails?
Best Buy does sell memberships that renew. If you have one, the charge will show in your Best Buy account and on your card statement. Check those directly.
Why do they want to get on my computer?
Control of the screen lets them edit what your bank's website shows, so a small refund looks like a large overpayment. That fake overpayment is how the money is taken.
Sources
- Consumer Alert: How to recognize the Geek Squad Scam whec.com · December 2025
- The Geek Squad scam is back. Here's what you need to know. mashable.com · December 2025
- Fake Geek Squad billing scam email: Red flags and how to avoid - Fox News foxnews.com · May 2026
- Shop app scam sends fake invoices to trick users into calling fraudsters - FOX19 fox19.com · July 2026
- 'Your devices could be at risk': how antivirus scams trade on fear - The Guardian theguardian.com · May 2026
How we count
Elderus collects news reports about fraud against older adults every day. A story counts toward this page when its headline or summary describes the Geek Squad renewal email scam. Copies of one story syndicated to several outlets count once, and stories that fail our quality checks (no usable summary, video transcripts, coverage outside the U.S.) are left out. States are the ones named in each story's headline and summary. Payment methods come from the stories with the scam in the headline. Monthly counts begin in January 2026 and use the date each story entered our archive. These figures describe news coverage. They do not measure how often the scam happens, since most scams are never reported in the news.