{"success":true,"data":{"id":"fake-geek-squad-norton-auto-renewal-billing-scam","label":"Fake Geek Squad / Norton / McAfee auto-renewal billing scam — impersonates Best Buy Geek Squad or antivirus brands, claims annual protection plan auto-renewed at $299–499, provides toll-free number to \"cancel\" that routes to tech-support scammer who takes remote access; FTC 2022–2024: $800M+ in tech-support refund scams; FBI IC3: top-10 consumer fraud by volume; AARP: 60%+ of victims are over 60","description":"Impersonation scam targeting primarily senior consumers: a fake invoice arrives claiming that an annual Geek Squad Total Protection, Norton LifeLock, or McAfee subscription auto-renewed at $299–499, with an order number and a toll-free number to \"cancel and get a refund.\" Calling the number connects to a tech-support scammer who requests remote desktop access (via AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or Zoho Assist), then either directly transfers money from the victim's bank account or tricks the victim into making a wire transfer or purchasing gift cards. Key facts: (1) FTC 2022–2024: Geek Squad and Norton/McAfee impersonation emails are among the highest-volume tech-support scam vectors, contributing to $800M+ in annual tech-support refund losses; the FTC issued a record $60M settlement against a major impersonation ring in 2023; (2) FBI IC3 2023: tech support fraud cost Americans $924M — the second-highest dollar loss category, with impersonation invoices as the primary initial contact vector; (3) AARP Fraud Network: 60%+ of tech-support billing scam victims are over 60, with average losses of $10,000–$20,000 when remote access is granted — the highest per-victim loss of any email-initiated scam; (4) The key tell: real Best Buy, Norton, and McAfee renewal notices arrive from verified company domains and link to in-app account portals — they never include a toll-free phone number as the only cancellation option. Warning signs: invoice from non-bestbuy.com or non-norton.com domain, no link to account management, toll-free phone number as sole cancellation method, order number in format that looks legitimate but is not verifiable online.","tier":"danger","category":"scam","isThin":false}}