Spam will likely always be an issue with email, but sometimes we get email that we might not know is spam or not. Since I often get questions from people that say they received an email that they aren’t sure is spam or not, I’ll share one with you.
Here’s the full email you can read.
They made sure to use the Geek Squad logo (from Best Buy), and also put an official-sounding “Copyright Geek Squad” at the bottom of the email. The layout of the email actually makes it look like there was an actual order, too – it lays out what was “ordered”, and the price for that order. There’s even a customer service number to call, which is exactly what they WANT you to do – they want you to call them so they can scam you over the phone.
When you look closer, there are some very telling signs that this is indeed a scam. First and foremost, you’re receiving a bill for something you’re pretty sure you didn’t order. The most telling, though, is the email address this is from – it’s from a hotmail.com email address. Do you think Best Buy would ever use a hotmail email address? Uh, no. It would be from something like customerservice@bestbuy.com. HOWEVER, that can also be faked, so don’t trust an email you get even with an official-sounding email address.
The best thing to do in a situation like this (if you don’t just immediately realize it’s spam and delete it), is to look up the actual phone number for the company. In this case, call the nearest Best Buy location and ask them about it. I see a LOT of these email scams – when in doubt, verify. Just be sure that when you verify, you DON’T CALL, CLICK ON A LINK, OR EMAIL them – that’s how they get you! Do your own research to find the REAL number to call. You’ll see they don’t match, and will realize it’s a scam. If you’re still in doubt, you can always call the REAL number to ask!