Scams going around · Emails

Geek Squad or Norton renewal email scam

Pretends to be Best Buy's Geek Squad, Norton or McAfee. An email (sometimes a text) says you were charged hundreds of dollars to renew a Geek Squad, Norton or McAfee plan. It tells you to call a number within 24 hours to cancel. The people who answer want to get into your computer or get your bank or card details.

An example of what it can look like

Not a real message: the details are made up.

Geek Squad Billing <billing@geeksquad-renewals.example>
Thank you for renewing your Geek Squad membership. $399.99 has been charged to your account today. Your invoice is attached. If you did not approve this charge, call (202) 555-0143 within 24 hours to cancel and get a full refund.

How to tell

It says you were charged hundreds of dollars to renew a plan, sometimes with an invoice attached.
It gives you a phone number and tells you to call within 24 hours to cancel or dispute the charge.
You cannot find the charge in your own bank or credit card account.
The sender's email address has spelling mistakes, or the part after the @ is one you do not recognize. The name shown may still say Geek Squad or Norton.
On the call, they ask to take control of your computer from far away. Or they say they refunded you too much and want it back in gift cards.

What to do

Do not call the number in the email, and do not open the attached invoice.
Look for the charge in your own bank or credit card account. If it is not there, delete the email.
If you want to check, contact the company yourself using a phone number you know is real.
Never let anyone connect to your computer (control it from far away) unless you called the company yourself. Use a phone number you know is real, not one from an email, text, pop-up (a box that suddenly appears on your screen) or online ad.
Never pay back a "refund" with gift cards, a wire transfer or cryptocurrency (digital money).

If you already tapped, paid, called or replied

If you gave them your bank or card numbers, or see a charge you did not make, call your bank or card company now. Use the number on the back of your card. Ask them to reverse any charge you did not make.
If you gave them a password, change it now. Also change it on any other account that uses the same password.
If you let them into your computer, update your security software (the program that checks for viruses). Then run a scan and delete anything it finds.
If you already gave them gift card numbers, call the gift card company right away. Use the number on the back of the card. Tell them a scammer tricked you, and ask for your money back.
If you sent money by payment app, wire transfer or cryptocurrency (digital money), tell the company you used right away. Ask them to refund your money.

How to check for real

First, look for the charge in your own bank or card account. If it is not there, the message was a scam. Then contact the company yourself. For Best Buy or Geek Squad, call 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289) or use a contact method on BestBuy.com. For Norton, sign in to your own Norton account or use Norton's official support channels. For McAfee or any other company, use a phone number you know is real, not one from the email.

Where to report it

Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
For a fake Best Buy or Geek Squad message, email Best Buy at abuse@BestBuy.com.
Forward a fake Norton email to spam@norton.com as an attachment (the whole email sent along as a file). Many email programs on a computer have a choice called Forward as attachment.
You can also report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

Free guides that go with this

Check a message you got, free · Check a link

Where this comes from

Written from these official warnings, checked 2026-09-25. Lantern is not part of any organization named on this page.