Once again, the lesson is to keep a separate hard drive just for stuff you don't want people in the repair shop to see.

Geek Squad: A matter of trust [Star Tribune]

Statements + Lawsuit (PDF)

Geek Squad employees viewed over 800 images contained in a folder titled XXXYOUNGS. The images featured young girls believed to be between the ages of 7 and 15. In some of the pictures the children were nude; in others, they were engaged in sexual acts with adult males.

Middle School Employee Charged with Child Pornography Possession [FOX9] (Thanks to Nick!)

I had worked for Geek Squad for over a year, and Best Buy a year and a half before that and was recently let go. Back when they started scanning computers, they said they found downloaded music and movies on our machine and we were to send them the hard drives. So we boxed them up and sent them out.

A month or so later the interrogations happened. We all had our turn, and when it was mine, I walked into a room with the table pushed against the wall and two chairs in the middle of the room sitting two feet apart with nothing in between.

Our store's loss prevention manager and the district loss prevention manager was there, and I reached out to shake his hand. He shook mine, looked me in the eyes and said "I already know if you are going to tell me the truth or not," with an intimidating grip on my hand still. Then we sat down, our knees inches apart. He asked me how long I had worked there, and how many hours a week I worked, why I liked working there. He didn't really care why, he just wanted to tell me why he liked working for Best Buy. He told me, "Well, I used to be a cop, and when you're a cop everything you do is reactive, you can't really stop people from committing crimes. Here I normally get to come in and make sure processes are in place so we don't have problems. But here we have a problem, and now I have to be reactive and be a cop again."

From there he asked me all sorts of questions about why there was music on our computer and where it came from, which was mostly us backing up customer's music because they paid us to, and my coworkers and i bringing in our iPods, which was ok with all the levels of management in the store. He even made a joke about how that wasn't "SOP" (the Best Buy bible), but he knew that our store LP manager was ok with it. It was ok because they trusted us. I was asked why we had Linux isos, which made me laugh. Also, during the interview anytime I was asked a question, I don't know wasn't an acceptable answer. At one point I stopped answering him because I was just sitting there saying I don't know. Then he had me write down everything I knew about in the precinct and sign it at the bottom. The district manager told me he would read it over afterwards to make sure it was "what they needed." I filled out the paper, signed it and gave it to him. Then they told me if I talked to anyone about what happened I would be fired.

Then the interesting began. My supervisor immediately started looking for another position at one of the 3 new stores opening in our area. He got one and put in his two week notice and stopped caring about his job. Everything started falling apart, then he left so we had no supervisor. So I put in my two week notice and found another job. The thing was our supervisor didn't know anything about fixing computers. All he card about was "selling our services" to people so he would meet his budgets and then tell us techs to fix whatever the customer wrote down which more than once included "retrieve deleted files" which yes we could have done if we were allowed to use the software, but we weren't. So he left and everything got better. And I talked to my general manager about staying, and he told me he saw how I had helped being a leader once our supervisor left and he was impressed and would like to see me move up in the company. A few days later we had a new supervisor who was a really nice guy and knew his stuff about computer fixing.

Now, I know you guys know about Jonny Utah (internally Geek Squad drops the 'h' so they don't get sued). Well I despise JonnyUtah. The entire time I worked there we were given goals of a certain number of computers which were to be fixed by JonnyUtah each week. The goal was seven. Most of the time we didn't hit our JonnyUtah goals because we were able to fix all the computers we brought in ourselves without needing help. I disliked it because:

1) I didn't get to work on the customer's computer
2) Someone in another country that does not have the same privacy laws as the United States was fixing our customer's computers.
3) Anytime we asked where the JonnyUtah guys were located we were told either it was "Top Secret" or "An undisclosed cave in a mountain on a remote island." Seriously.
4) We did a much better job than Jonny ever. We had so many people bring computers back that those guys "fixed" still having problems or hardware issues that you can't really fix over a remote connection.

On October 18th, the day after my birthday I came into work early and the entire district staff (probably 6 or 7 people) were hanging out in our area where we fix computers talking to my friend who was one of the other full time techs. I went into the break room to eat my lunch and my buddy came in and told me the district guys were asking him if he would be offended if he had to go out on the floor and sell Geek Squad services instead of fixing computers, and having JonnyUtah fix more of the computers. I clocked in and five minutes later was told by my general manager that I was being let go for having music and movies and unapproved software on the computer.

So whatever I don't work there anymore, I'm not crying. But I wish people would realize that Geek Squad isn't worth what you pay. Best Buy's rules kept us from being great computer techs. They wouldn't let us use linux in the store to do data backups because that required an extra $1500 (not exaggerating) from the customer and we had to UPS the drive to California. We weren't allowed to do laptop repair in the store, even though I'm capable of handling a soldering iron to reattach people's DC power jacks. And they'll tell you this is because they are sending them to the "laptop techs" or whatever, but most of the time that stuff would come back broke anyways and customer's would yell at us. It was a horrible situation for everyone and I think shows that not everything can work on a large scale. For someone like me computer repair is easy. I could have done so much more than they expected of me and brought in so much more money for them and made customers a lot happier not having to wait two days for a guy to put his laptop on the UPS truck. But that's the thing. Geek Squad doesn't want me. They want someone who will take your money and have someone in another country actually do the work. To sell you a $59 diagnostic fee to call you the next day and say "yeah, your laptop is completely dead just like you told us, com buy a new one."

I hope people start realizing that Geek Squad is nothing more than marketing. You see the tie and the white shirt and you assume that the agent knows what they're talking about. The truth is most of them don't. There are no tests. There is very little training and that is mostly on how to sell things. In fact my old supervisor had a motto I heard him use way too often: Perception is reality.

I've enjoyed reading your site since before any of this ever happened, and although in some round about way I ended up getting fire because of an article that was posted on your site, I'll forever support you guys because it's sites like this that can make a difference (and you guys have) in how companies do their business and treat their customers.

Cheers,
Agent Zero

PREVIOUSLY: Leaks: How Geek Squad Investigated Its Own Porn Thieves
Best Buy's Geek Squad Scours Stores In Person For Stolen Porn N' Stuff
VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer
(Photo: Victor Chiu)

Just to make sure there's no other child pornographers out there, Geek Squad will continue to scour the hard drives of its customers for salacious images and video, helping itself to whatever media it fancies as a sort of automatic gratuity for the vigilante services it provides to the community.

Geek Squad trip lands child porn "trafficker" in slammer for 10 years [ArsTechnica] (Thanks to Hassan!)

Geek Squad has also enacted a new "Open and Honest" policy, encouraging Geeks to step forward and report on employees found violating customer's privacy and such, along with a special email address and phone number for anonymously reporting concerns. Furthermore, the use of personal flash drives has been strictly forbidden.

Says the tipster, "I'm guessing this is due to the recent outbreaks of Geek Squad privacy issues."

(Photo: Maulleigh)

Of the move, a former employee writes...

"My personal feeling about all this is that they're screwing the whole concept of GS into the ground. The people that Best Buy has and will hire for these "Geek" positions are (often times) under qualified. If Best Buy rolls this out nationwide, then I feel that any hope of turning GS into something reputable is lost. It then just becomes another gimmick or sales pitch and not what GS originally was; prompt, courteous service by a knowledgeable and friendly technician.

As Stalin quipped, quantity is a quality all its own.

Agent Johnny Utah is the code name for the Geek Squad's remote troubleshooting software. Usually it's used so that outsourced Bangalore workers can scan customer's computers for spyware and viruses and such. In this case, Geek Squad agents at headquarters are using the remote system to scan the Geek Squad precinct's computers for porn and mp3s taken from customer's hard drives.

One tipster doubts the efficacy of the search:

...the search will no doubt reveal almost nothing company wide.. certain machines not plugged in, certain harddrives not plugged in during the search, etc... so they will come back with an all clean in a week, and the problem will continue.

Every techpc in the company was hooked up, and had specialists from corporate office scan them for customer files and information. Our harddrives came up red-flagged and got sent to corporate, but they didn't get the motherlode, because the pile of customer information/porn/unlicensed tools/windows XP ISOs/MP3s were on a seperate HD that somehow didn't make it into the scan.

Best Buy's investigation is an encouraging step in the right direction, but uprooting the porn pilfering problem will require confronting more deeply seated issues. We asked one tipster what Geek Squad could do to permanently reform its culture. His response? "Stop hiring sales people and hire real techs that get paid tech wages."

PREVIOUSLY: Best Buy Fires Geek Squad Supervisor Following Negative Newspaper Articles About Porn Pilfering
(Photo: rofflcopterr)

Former Geek Squad agent Brett Haddock, quoted in recent articles in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the LA Daily News, reports, "I have confirmation that the direct Supervisor of the Geek Squad in the Santa Clarita store was asked to step down, but I do not have exact numbers right now as to how many employees have been terminated."

Furthermore, Haddock says that some of his fellow coworkers are none too happy with his whistleblowing. "Some employees have been terminated as a direct result of the articles," writes Haddock. "Said employees are a tid bit "miffed" with me, and the article I rode in on. I have already been sent text messages and emails from people upset with "what I did."

I'm standing up for what I believe is moral and right. I'm sorry for any legitimately innocent person that works for Best Buy whom was wrongfully terminated. It is obvious that Best Buy will seek a fall guy for the incident, so they can site it as "an isolated one" but what they do not realize is the stories that run on Consumerist.com depict a nationwide epidemic with Agents of the Geek Squad."

Hopefully, Best Buy/Geek Squad's vigor will extend to a systematic investigation of every single Geek Squad for possible breaches of customer privacy. An isolated report from a Geek Squad agent in the northeast that they had to remove their precinct's harddrives and mail them to Geek Squad headquarters to check for "privacy issues" could be signs of steps in the right direction.

PREVIOUSLY: Best Buy To Sue Geeks Who Spoke Out Against Porn Stealing?
(Photo: tellumo)

Haddock wrote The Consumerist that BBY's threats posturing is, "an obvious attempt by a big corporation trying to scare the little guy. This may work to silence other agents, but it won't silence me, and they can't scare me for expressing my first amendment rights. I've done nothing but told the truth."

Hey Best Buy, guess what? The store where we got a video of your agent stealing porn? Yeah, it wasn't in Santa Clarita.

Generally, the process looks like this...for most customers, we use a commercial program called Nero BackItUp (available with Nero Ultra Suite) - we mount the HDD as a slave on our TechPC, and we just select the directories we need to backup, and the process automates itself. Unless somebody goes in and looks, or an occasional oddball case (I found child porn on a computer by the fact that CDFS limits the length of the name of a file, and if you put enough keywords in front of it, Nero wants to know how to deal with it) we don't see any the files. This is true for I'd say....60% of all backups we do.

What causes problems are two things: When a customer doesn't know what to backup, or if the HDD has bad sectors/is overly fragmented.

When a customer doesn't know what to backup, and doesn't state to backup everything, usually we go directory by directory and figure out if there's anything worth backing up. This is how agents can start peeking in your files.

When a drive has bad sectors/is overly fragmented - due to the nature of Nero, if one file won't backup, the backup will just crash out. We then use a free program called ROBOCOPY, which is basically XCopy with better switch commands. We copy the entire HDD wholesale (minus Windows, Program Files, and things like temp files and the hibernate file) to our HDD. ROBOCOPY provides error checking, retries files, and skips damaged files to avoid crashing itself. We then backup off the clone of the user's HDD on our HDD.

This would be fine and peachy - if we deleted it afterward. Most of the time, at least in my precinct, we don't. I can often find backups stored on the desktop of the techpc, or in the network accessible shared "backups" directory, or if I just use TreeSize on the PC. Sometimes we keep it for legal reasons - we may have had some major damage to an HDD, and only gotten a small portion of the data files, and we have been sued before over that. But most of the time, we have no reason to keep a clone of a user's HDD on our computer, but seemingly keep them through apathy or just plain negligence. This allows a corrupt agent to search at his/her leisure. The policy is to delete them immediately, but nobody monitors it. The store managers wouldn't know enough to look, and the GS managers don't care, and even if they did, it wouldn't take long to hide something. Every month, we're supposed to reimage the Techpc, but reinstalling everything takes hours - and doesn't make us any money, so nobody does.

The customers don't help us either. Customers often post nude pictures of themselves on their desktop, or have poorly named folders on the desktop, or even pure video files on their desktop. Every agent in my precinct has a 4GB or higher flash memory stick. I have two complete work related CD images, a dozen more programs, 50 or so music files, all of my writing, and all of my schoolwork, and still have 1.8 GB free on my 4GB stick, and I have two additional 2GB sticks, that if I really wanted to steal personal info, I could just format. I've had customers ask me, when performing virus scans to move their Limewire directory "/Documents and Settings//Shared" out so the remover that nukes Limewire doesn't delete it. That's just asking for it.

The customers and managers expect us to run our procedures off the memory sticks - we don't like using Compact Discs unless we have to boot from them because they cost the store money. The way the MRI works, once it gets going, it installs itself into a temp directory, so the memory stick isn't doing anything. You can easily steal files while running a scan. I have a password stripper for Windows, a password stripper for RAR/ZIP files, and a program that removes the obscuring from password fields on my thumbdrives - they aren't part of the toolset, but I was told in certain situations to do "what needs to get it done", so I could easily start stealing passwords - I could just swipe your registry and steal your passwords when I get home, thanks to IE storing passwords.

The other big problem with file stealing is the scanners. The virus scanners especially list every directory name and every file while they're scanning - and it gets really obvious. So there's plenty of visibility for your files, and plenty of opportunity. Geek Squad doesn't condone it, but my manager, who'd be the only one that could notice an agent stealing data, only works 36-40 hours per week. Above and beyond that, we're on our own, self-monitored and self-enforced.

-Anonymous

Best Buy is America's leading electronics retailer. There's a Geek Squad in just about every Best Buy. According to insider emails, comments, and conversations, the theft of customer's personal files is systemic. Unless you protect it, your data is not safe. Don't leave your house with your doors unlocked, and don't leave your computer with a repair tech unless 1) you don't care what they see 2) you've taken necessary precautions to secure your files, like encryption or keeping sensitive info on an external drive.

PREVIOUSLY:
VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer
Geek Squad Hatched Plot To Harvest Porn From Pornstar Jasmine Grey's HardDrive, Days Before She Died In Car Crash
Why Geeks Steal Porn From Your Computer

(Photo: bookish in north park (away for a while))

Once we got into the recycle bin, we realized it was entirely filled with naked pictures and movies. It turns out that this young woman was a pornstar named Jasmine Grey (link safe for work)"

I left for the day and came back the next day to find that one of our fellow employees had copied all of the files to a few dvd's and shared them with management, as well as most of the other techs.

Her webcam was still locking up her machine when she took her computer home that night, so she returned again in the morning. She still wouldn't provide us with her site (not that we needed it anyway at that point), but she did want to look into purchasing a new machine. At this point I handed her off to a PCHO rep who proceeded to convince her that instead of buying a new machine...she should just have an Agent come out to fix it at her house (that way she "could rest easy that her privacy would be assured"). The manager on duty at the time was involved in the scam, so he offered to send an Agent out for free to "go the extra mile and insure she only shop at Best Buy in the future" Of course, the Agent that came out to her house was none other than the same person who copied all her files to DVD. He fixed the webcam in a few minutes then spent the entire remainder of the appointment scouring her network for more porn, which he saved to a portable hard drive. Those files were then shared across the store.

The sad part is that she passed away in a car crash only days later which quickly formed rainclouds over everyone's perverted parade.

So how about that? Not only did the techs steal porn from a customer...they forfeited the revenue from a new computer AND from an on-site visit for the sole purpose of getting more porn.

I left the company 3 weeks later.

We didn't think these stories could get any sleazier or disgusting. We obviously underestimated the Geek Squad.

(Photo: Whateverland)

PREVIOUSLY:
VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer
How To Make Your Computer Catch People Stealing Your Porn
Why Geeks Steal Porn From Your Computer

I just want you to know that I applaud your efforts. I used to work at Best Buy, for the switch from just being techs to branding as Geek Squad. At stored #xxx in Chattanooga TN. (xxx) xxx-xxxx ext xxxx (for the tech bench).

I had the misfortune of enabling the dumping of these files, through a means that you would not have been able to record. For a lot of the stuff we did, we used a WinPE and Knoppix disc to diagnose and fix most issues. The knoppix disc also loaded up a SSH server to which would then be connected to, to download the "interesting" files.

I also know we had to alert the authorities to a couple of machines because of the content that was found.

FBI said to keep up the good work (I guess, because we did what they couldn't)... We were also sued a couple of times, for other "reasons".

The machines of interest were kept in the back near the 'war room,' and was a common spectacle for employees to come back there and see it.

-Former GS agent

I used to work at the geek squad here in rockford, il. They used to do the music thing all the time. Everything we played was taken off someone's machine somewhere. Same with images, video, movies. One guy even had someone's home-made porn on his jumpdrive. It was almost sick

-S

We really have a hard time believing that the guy we caught was an isolated incident, or that higherups had never heard of it happening before.

Given the time (one guy said he had worked there during the transition from when Geek Squad became part of Best Buy), depth (if your employees are interfacing with FBI agents, that has to trickle up at some point), and breadth (note the reference again to a common "war room" where the stolen files became backroom spectacle).

PREVIOUSLY:

VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer
How To Make Your Computer Catch People Stealing Your Porn

(Photo: Maulleigh)

Gizmodo: "For shame, Geek Squad! (You're not supposed to get caught!)"

Network World: "Who the heck steals porn? I mean any 12-year-old can find all anybody should want for free."

Wired Blogs: Gadget Lab: "...be careful where you shop for repairs."

BoingBoing: "By the time your PC needs repair, it will be too late to lock down. Plan ahead, grasshopper!"

Slashdot: "A related story from a former Geek Squad employee details the decline of the Geek Squad and Best Buy ethics in general."

PREVIOUSLY: VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer

Francis West: "im so darn tired of his slander... SO WHAT CAN/ARE WE DOING ABOUT THIS?!?!?!"

Stephen Lopez2: "Plenty of people use porn as a screen saver, desktop background or store it on the desktop. i honestly never saw as much porn till i started working here. its kinda annoying."

Nate Hasty: "Do I believe that this sort of activity is occurring in Precincts all across the nation, and probably the world? Yep. That's why I say instead of piss and moan and cry about the fact that the Consumerist is "picking" on us, let's suck it up and remember that we are supposed to be the most trustworthy PC repair service in the nation, and aspire to be the most trusted in the world someday. But if Agents continue to act selfishly and with as much reckless abandon for the privacy of our clients as was displayed in this video, we will FAIL. "

Robert Miller: "I hate the consumerist, but if there were not problems they would have nothing to report on."

Hey Robert,

Just left you a message but we're getting ready to publish a video about how we found a Geek Squad agent taking images and video from a computer we took in for repairs and copying them to his thumbdrive. If you have a second, I'd love to get a comment.

—-

from Stephens, Robert (GeekSquad)"
to ben@consumerist.com
date Jul 5, 2007 2:29 PM

Ben,

If this is true, it's an isolated incident and grounds for termination of the Agent involved. I'll need the name of the Agent to launch an internal investigation immediately. Are you willing to provide this?

-Robert Stephens

from ben@consumerist.com
to "Stephens, Robert (GeekSquad)"
date Jul 5, 2007 4:57 PM

Robert,

Well, no. The main thrust of our story is that this is a systemic problem. We think it's just luck of the draw this agent got caught rather than another. It's an issue that needs to be addressed broadly in your organization, and across the computer repair industry as a whole. I'm sure you can make the point internally and remind agents of best practices without making an example of one person, perhaps even more effectively.

PREVIOUSLY: VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer

Disclaimer: These instructions are for intermediate to advanced computer users and we will not provide any support nor be liable for anyone who turns their computer into a scorched pile of rancid silicon.

1) Load up a base Windows XP system, and fill it with sweet, sweet "honey". As a baseline, our Poohbear system was a 1.2 GHZ AMD Athlon with 256MB of RAM, about the minimum system requirements you'll need.

2) Set up software that would allow us to review the actions that took place during repair.

3) Send it out into the field.

Two main pieces of software make up Poohbear's guts:

• TightVNC (or any VNC program)

• Pyvnc2swf

TightVNC operates as the recorder, providing an interface to output the desktop of the PC. Pyvnc2swf captures the results of those images and archives them into a file for later retrieval. Pyvnc2swf provides several methods for archival. As Poohbear had minimal CPU/Memory, we opted for raw dumps to a VNC file. A beefier system could allow for straight dumps to a compressed SWF file.

TightVNC setup

After installing TightVNC, configure the helper application, including password and allowing for local loopback connections. Once you've used the helper application, disable it from start-up. You don't want it to show up on the taskbar or it may give the recording away.

Pyvnc2swf

The real work comes from pycnc2swf, which we will need to launch from a batch file. The batch file provides an easy way for to randomize the output files and it can be spawned from a helper service. The helper service, srvany.exe, is a program that allows regular Windows applications to be deployed as a service in Windows. Once your batch file is defined, you can follow these instructions to setup the file to launch at start-up time. As part of the process of defining a service, you'll want to make sure that the name you give it sounds kinda Microsoftian, like "Windows Image Capture Service." In our video, when the technician looks through the service names, he passes right over it.

Here is a copy of what our pyvnc2swf launching batch file looked like:

(Note: The second line is wrapped)

As referenced in the batch file, you'll need to set up an empty file of your choosing so that pyvnc2swf knows what password to log into VNC with. The file we chose, password.txt, contains nothing but the password on its own line. The %RANDOM% parameter guarantees that pyvnc2swf won't accidentally overwrite its own files when it is booting up a second or third time. Feel free to substitute your own variable, like %TIME%.

After everything has been set up, verify that your custom service is set to "Automatic". If the instructions have been followed correctly, then every subsequent reboot of your PC should immediately start recording the contents of the desktop to a directory you've defined on the system. You can later retrieve these files and use the pyvnc2swf "edit" utility to convert that file to your specific needs.

PREVIOUSLY: VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer

UPDATE: Why We're Not Telling Geek Squad CEO Which Agent Stole The Porn

To investigate claims by current and former Geek Squad techies (see "The 10 Page Geek Squad Confession - "Stealing Customers' Nudie Pics Was An Easter Egg Hunt"), we loaded a computer with porn and rigged it to make a video of itself. We captured every cursor movement, every program opened, every file accessed. Everything that the user saw and did, we recorded.

We took it to less than a dozen Best Buy Geek Squads and asked them to perform simple tasks, like installing iTunes. Most places were fine, sometimes doing the job right on the counter, sometimes even for free.

Then we caught one well-seasoned Geek Squad Agent copying personal and pornographic images and video from our computer to his company-issued thumb drive (see video above, or the logfiles).

Reached for comment, Geek Squad CEO Robert Stephens expressed desire to launch an internal investigation and said, "If this is true, it's an isolated incident and grounds for termination of the Agent involved."

This is not just an isolated incident, according to reports from Geek Squad insiders alleging that Geek Squad techs are stealing porn, images, and music from customer's computers in California, Texas, New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere. Our sources say that some Geek Squad locations have a common computer set up where everyone dumps their plunder to share with the other technicians.

If our techie readers were right about the Geek Squad doing this, then perhaps they're right in saying it happens at other computer repair places as well.

And by the time your computer breaks, it's too late to hide anything you wouldn't want someone to find, and steal for their own purposes. It might not just be the photos and videos you got online, but also the ones you made with your partner for intimate purposes. Or it could be passwords, credit card information, bank accounts. The only thing stopping a potential peeping tom is the bounds of their curiosity, and how much and how secure is the information you keep on your computer.

We advise encrypting sensitive files in advance with a program like TrueCrypt (WIN) or making an encrypted disk image (MAC, be sure to skip step 6). Or, keep it all on an external hard drive and/or zip all the files and password protect them.

Who knew that when you hand over your computer to a repair technician, you could be giving a stranger a veritable Pandora's box?

NEXT: How To Make Your Computer Catch People Stealing Your Porns

PREVIOUSLY:
Geek Squad Confession: "Stealing Customers' Nudie Pics Was An Easter Egg Hunt"
We're Always Looking For Porn On Customer's Computers, Techies Confirm

(Photo: mreraser)

Here are some hi-rez screenshots. We wish the video was this quality but it ended up having to go through multiple levels of compression.

Vishal Sehjpal, 22, of the 1700 block of Stifel Lane Drive, brought his computer into the Chesterfield Best Buy store in 2004 for repair. A technician found a video file that appeared to contain child pornography and called police, who contacted Sehjpal and searched his computer and CDs.

Sehjpal pleaded guilty in February to two felony counts of possession of child pornography and admitted possessing both still pictures and videos that contained child porn that he'd downloaded from the Internet.

We're not joking, child porn is really really bad, which is how Geek Squad techs must justify snooping through customer's files. They're stopping child pornographers. Every customer could be a child pornographer, so it's necessary to look through every computer. And hell, why not save the non child porn while you're at it, then share it on a common computer with the other techs. Just doing our job to protect the community, yessir. — BEN POPKEN

Chesterfield man gets 30 months for child porn [St. Louis Dispatch] (Thanks to Neil!)

PREVIOUSLY:
We're Always Looking For Porn On Customer's Computers, Techies Confirm
The 10 Page Geek Squad Confession - "Stealing Customers' Nudie Pics Was An Easter Egg Hunt"

From the City Pages Blotter:

We called a local Best Buy/Geek Squad outlet for reassurance.

"That's absolutely not our practice—it's part of our policy to keep files private," said the Agent. "Although we might see the names of the files pop up, if you've saved pictures as your screensaver."

So we asked, What if we brought in, say, a spouse's computer? Would you search that for hidden porn at our behest?

The Agent paused. "We can do that."

So, we have strict rules against invading people's privacy. Unless you ask us to invade someone else's. — BEN POPKEN

City Pages: The Blotter (Thanks to Oren!)

Highlights:

• Wave a magic erase and reinstall wand over a used PC. SHAZAM! Now it's a new PC!
• Geek Squad agents scour your computer for those porn pics you and your girlfriend(s) took, and load it onto their thumb drives. Even the ones you thought you deleted.
• GS used to be great, until they replaced most of the actual techs with salesmen.

Raw, uncut and uncorroborated, you'll think twice about bringing your computer to Geek Squad after reading this one...

Anonymous writes:

Introduction - What's all this, then?

I am writing this for various reasons. One reason is in hopes that I might shine some light on the reality of Geek Squad and Best Buy; both correcting false rumors, as well as confirming others. Another reason that I have chosen to write this is out of retribution. No, not "revenge", or the stereotypical "payback" you may think of a former employee wanting. And no, not the "vengeance" of a "disgruntled employee", which I surely am not, and still recommend Best Buy services as much as I had before. The retribution I speak of is simply the need for closure. Geek Squad was a wonderful and amazing company, and I indeed loved—and now miss—my job, as well as my friends I made while there (both co-workers as well as customers). Sadly, due to certain events, and by no fault of Geek Squad itself, the company changed, corrupted, and slowly reduced itself to what it currently is. I spent every ounce of myself to make Geek Squad as great as possible, and in the end, due to corporate bureaucracy, bad decisions, and greed, my job that I had taken with so much pride, had turned into something that now brings me shame for even being a part of. Despite all of this, the main reason, however, is essentially so I do not forget the details of my experiences. As you start digesting my story, do so not in the mindset of reading an expos of a company, rather, do so in the mindset of reading a tragic novel.

I Thought Best Buy was Evil - And I was wrong.

Like many people, I have an interesting history with Best Buy. From return issues, to fictitious warranty information, I had experienced just about all I wanted to in regards to the Best Buy brand. But why did I work for them? Did I need the money? No. Was it some sort of sick joke? No. I applied because it was the summer, and my friend worked for Best Buy and guaranteed me I was wrong about them. He was right, and I was definitely wrong.

Best Buy was an amazing company! I remember distinctly telling my friends and family (some who didn't believe me) how wrong I had been about Best Buy. I remember laughing with my fellow Geek Squad agents. I remember smiling and helping customers. I remember wanting to come to work and not wanting to leave. I remember wearing my Geek Squad uniform with pride, even when I could feel the glares of people and hear their giggles. But why should I care? I love working with computers, I love helping people, and I loved my job that allowed me to do both.

I Thought Best Buy was Amazing - And I was wrong.

I loved my job, and I kid you not, it breaks my heart to think back as I watched Geek Squad—almost a member of my family—become beaten and ravaged by Best Buy. It was a shock to me as it happened, but not to everyone. One agent commented to me how Geek Squad replaced Best Buy's old support service. And indeed, he was correct. Though, the marriage of Best Buy and Geek Squad was the most advertised, Geek Squad was surely not Best Buy's first tech-support companion. Best Buy use to have its own tech support service, which it corrupted, ruined, and then replaced with Geek Squad... and is now repeating the process with this new acquisition.

Some of you must be wondering how, exactly, I could have been wrong about Best Buy on both sides of the spectrum. I'll do my best to explain as we continue on.

Customer Centricity - Common Sense Comes at a Price.

It wasn't long after I was hired into the company when I learned why I was so wrong about it: "Customer Centricity". You see, the current Vice Chairman and CEO of Best Buy is a wonderful and kind man by the name of Brad Anderson. I had the privilege of meeting, working, and even eating with Anderson on numerous occasions while working at Best Buy. Anderson has one of those "kind faces" that you do not forget; the kind of face that has a smile even when he is not smiling, and the kind of eyes that do not judge you, and make you realize that the difference between you and him does not rest in the amount of zero's in his bank account, but rather how much of yourself you put into your job. He is a great man, and I cannot stress how much I respect him. Sadly, though, it was his kindness that, I believe, would contribute to the downfall of Best Buy's Geek Squad.

From what other executives in the company told me, the reason my beloved Best Buy was so amazing had to do a lot with the fact that Anderson was getting old, and hoped to leave a legacy behind him of making Best Buy "Customer Centristic". And there I go again, using that term, "Customer Centristic"... Let me explain what I mean: In 2003, a man named Larry Selden published a book, Angel Customers and Demon Customers, and I am not quite sure who read it, but it caught someone's eye in Best Buy. Selden worked with Best Buy to develop Customer Centricity, which basically is a fancy term for, "If you treat customers right, they will trust you and buy more from you." That's it. It boggled my mind how something so simple could be so hard to comprehend, and would require a man like Selden to be paid large amounts of money to consult Best Buy on their customer centricity goals. But this was reality.

Selden became a man of folklore within the realm of Best Buy. I heard rumors that he was chauffeured from Best Buy to Best Buy in a stretch limo. The very mention of Selden visiting your Best Buy caused managers to swiftly move through the stores, snapping their fingers at employees, yelling at them to be on their best behavior.

Selden's customer centricity was just what Anderson was looking for to help path the way for his legacy of patching Best Buy's reputation. And it would have worked, if not for the kindness of a CEO.

The Death of Customer Centricity - All Good Things Must Come to an End.

In the Bahamas, on August 23rd, 2005, a moderate storm formed and moved across southern Florida. Suddenly, the warm waters of the Gulf magnified it, then, on August 29th, 2005, she slammed into Louisiana and Mississippi. Her name was Katrina. Inside all of the statistics of death, injury, and destruction, there were fifteen Best Buy stores affected by Katrina, and out of that fifteen, six stores were completely ruined; I remember at least one of these six was reportedly looted, and another was under water.

This was, indeed, a trying time for any CEO, but Anderson pushed forward, and declared that all the employees, from the stores which were destroyed, would remain on payroll, despite them having no store in which to work. I distinctly remember having mixed emotions about this decision. On the one hand, it was a beautiful and enormous act of generosity to help the "members of the Best Buy family", however, the business side of me began to crunch the numbers and, in my head, I watched Best Buy dig itself into the red through generosity. And surely, they did.

Best Buy's stock was already not doing too well, and soon, it began to dip further. Was this completely due to Best Buy's pledge to pay hundreds of employees from stores that were bringing in no revenue? I cannot say for certain. What I do know for sure, however, is that as the company's belt began to tighten, the backlash was felt throughout the country. From coast to coast, hours began to be cut, and lives became disrupted. I am not saying it was not noble to help the victims of Katrina, nor am I saying it was wrong to do so. I am simply pointing out a fact that we all learned early in school, which is for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When Anderson decided to help a concentration of employees in Louisiana and Mississippi, he, in turn, decided to economically hurt hundreds more employees spread throughout the United States.

I remember coming to work, and seeing that I had no hours to work. I did not mind, though, because, again... I was not there for the money to begin with, and I only stayed for the friendship and love of my job. Many times I gave my hours up completely to my friends who were desperately trying to pay their rent, insurance, and other bills that had previously never been a weight on their minds.

The thought of what happened in Katrina didn't really faze me as much as it did to people who lost loved ones in the storm. I am not saying I did not care, because I did. I watched the news every day, just like everyone else. I donated from my paycheck every two weeks, as much as I could, to hope that it would find its way to helping those in need. And I prayed that they would keep finding survivors, even when it was clear they would not. But I did not lose anyone... so I thought.

It was only as the weeks began to pass that I realized I had indeed lost someone—a loved one: Geek Squad. In late 2005, Geek Squad's integrity, along with Customer Centricty, had drowned in the turbulent floodwaters of economic tragedy, caused, in part, by Hurricane Katrina and the kindness of an old man. Simply put, Best Buy needed to increase profits... and while customer centricty filled the stores with happy customers, ripping customers off filled the store's pockets with money.

From Geek Squad to Geek $quad - The Death of Technicians, and the Rise of Salesmen.

Where once store meetings were a rarity, they had now become ritualistic. Stores kept missing their numbers, and in the land of Best Buy, a worker who doesn't meet his numbers means a manager who doesn't keep their job. It may sound intriguing that it may work this way... punishing managers for the shortcomings of employees, but it is this military-like strategy that helps keep non-commissioned employees motivated by their managers.

Ah yes... the old, "We don't get paid on commission here!" Line. It is definitely true... Best Buy employees do not get paid on commission; however, I find this even worse than if they were. You see, when you go into a store where you know the employees work on commission, you instinctively keep your guard up. However, when you know the employees receive no commission, you are inclined to believe you are hearing the truth rather than lies from a salesperson hoping to get another "sale". It's a psychological tactic that relies on the ability for Best Buy to motivate their employees with charts, graphs, and the occasional reprimand from a superior. It works, though. Oh, it does work! To some, it may be in hopes of "moving up the ladder", or receiving applause from the entire store at a meeting, or even, possibly, the sheer fact that some employees are so egotistical that they actually believe their own bogus information while selling a customer on a product.

Before you go hating all the employees, though, in my opinion, it is not entirely their fault. While Geek Squad use to be a condensed army of the most computer savvy men and women the world has ever known, it has been diluted and infected by swarms of salesmen and saleswomen. The Geek Squad uniform use to emboss the separation of class between the interchangeable and recyclable blue-shirted salespeople and the geek-sheik computer gurus who were nothing less than company assets. While it use to imply knowledge, it now implies assumption... and that is what you might get. You see, when an employee is entrusted with the job of a Geek Squad agent, they now only need to believe they know what they are talking about—as if their clip-on-tie gives them automatic right-of-passage into the nerd world. This belief leads many of them to suggest products and answer questions regardless of whether they know what they are talking about... because they must know what they are talking about... they are wearing the clip on tie, Geek Squad button, and badge... therefore whatever dribble comes out of their mouth, which leads to money coming out of your wallet, must be correct.

I am sincerely sorry if I have eroded your view of the men and women who drive those fancy VW Beetles, but it is a reality that you must remember and keep with you always. If you, for any reason doubt me, by all means, apply to Geek Squad yourself, just remember that it is easier to become Geek Squad by transferring into the department from being a salesperson than it is to apply directly to Geek Squad and actually know what you are doing.

The fact is that you are no more likely to see a real technician at a Geek Squad today than you would be to see a real 5'10" mouse, wearing red suspenders at Disneyland. It is all an act... a show to provide what the customer assumes they need to see. The shoes, the ties, the badges, the pants, the socks, and the shirts do not increase the persons ability to fix your computer, they merely fulfill the customer's subconscious expectation of what a competent computer technician looks like.

Used PC + Deleting Evidence = New PC - My First Deal with the Devil

I clocked in and began working like I had all the other days, but it would not be like all the other days. On this day, I would favor the respect of my superior, rather than that of my integrity.

Towards the end of my shift, I was called over to help install a security and customization package on a newly purchased computer. For those who do not understand, a security package is the ability for a customer to wait an extra 30 to 45 minutes for their computer, plus pay an additional fee on top of the cost of software they could have installed themselves. Customization is the word we used rather than, "We are going to uninstall all of the useless garbage that computer manufacturers pre-install on your computer." This includes the running of a couple of programs at the end to "tweak" settings (I compare it to a "protein boost" in a smoothie... you know you are paying extra for something you don't understand... you can't really tell the difference between having it and not... but it just sounds so great, how can you refuse to get it?!). I greeted the customer, like I always had done, and I told them how long it would take, then sent them on their way. I proceeded to open the box and take the computer out, then boot it up.

Chinese? Japanese? I don't read either, so I am unable to tell you what it was exactly... but whatever it said, they were user accounts—on the new computer. The new computer... the one I had just opened. I was new at the job, but the idea that a "new" computer referred to one that was unused seemed to not match up with the reality of the situation. I quickly scampered around the store, looking for my manager. "Hey! You have to come look at this!" I said. He followed me back to my station and looked at the computer. "What's wrong?" He asked as he stared at the monitor. "This is the new computer that couple just bought... but its not new... it has user accounts on it already", I said, almost feeling proud that I had caught something as confusing and random as this. He then looked at me, and in a tone that you would expect a man to ask had he just found a million dollars under a park bench, he lifted his eyebrow, and mumbled, "Well... what do you think we should do?" I paused, thought, and replied; "Well... they bought a new one... and it's not new." He quickly corrected my judgment, and told me that I should just "clean it, and it will be ok." I knew it was not ok, though, but I went ahead and started uninstalling any programs, and deleting any proof that the computer had been previously owned by anyone. It was when I found a virus on the computer, that I begged the attention of my manager again. I was met with the same suave explanation of it being ok... which is all I needed to hear to continue. So I cleaned the computer, removed the virus, and had it as good as new for the customers.

Now, to some people, this may seem like no big deal... after all, I did clean it, and it was as good as a fresh install of Windows. But the fact remains that it was not a new computer, and should not have cost full price. And before anyone completely blames Best Buy, you must remember that while my manager and I were employees of Best Buy, it was ultimately my inability and intimidation that resulted in my actions. This is the same process that causes so many other seemingly good technicians to do stupid things. I value my integrity highly, so something like this weighs very heavily on me, which is why I made sure to not allow myself to be pressured into questioning my integrity again... if only more employees had followed suit.

Geek Squad's Lord and Savior: #10 - Buckle Up as We Descend.

In Christianity, the most sacred text would be the Bible. Scientists may hold their most sacred text as Darwin's Origin of Species. For Geek Squad, it is #10. What is #10? It is the 10th section on the contract that any Geek Squad customer agrees to, as well as signs in acknowledgment of their understanding. The sacred text of #10 reads as follows:

10. I AGREE THAT I MUST BACKUP MY DATA, SOFTWARE, INFORMATION AND/OR FILES, Best Buy will NOT backup any data, software, information and/or files on my computer or other product unless I specifically request Best Buy to do so for an applicable fee prior to the performance for any repair or service.

I, THE UNDERSIGNED, AGREE THAT PRIOR TO DELIVERING MY PRODUCT TO BEST BUY FOR REPAIRS OR SERVICING IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY: (1) TO BACKUP THE DATA, SOFTWARE, INFORMATION OR OHER FILES STORED ON MY PRODUCT; AND (2) TO REMOVE ALL VIDEOTAPES, COMPACT DISCS, CASSETTES, DVDS, FILM OR OTHER MEDIA FROM MY PRODUCT. FURTHER, I AGREE THAT WHETHER OR NOT I REQUEST BEST BUY TO BACKUP ANY DATA, SOFTWARE, INFORMATION AND/OR FILES, IN NO EVENT SHALL BEST BUY AND/OR ITS THIRD PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER BE LIABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FOR ANY LOSS, ALTERATION, OR CORRUPTION OF ANY DATA, SOFTWARE, INFORMATION, FILES, OR LOSS OF ANY OTHER MEDIA FROM MY PRODUCT.

There are 11 sections total to the contract, and, as you can see, this one is placed at the bottom for good reason. Again, I will defend Best Buy's choice to want to use this protection. If you have ever worked on a computer, you know that no matter how careful, prepared, skilled, or knowledgeable you are... crazy stuff can happen. Crazy, unexpected stuff... stuff that can get you sued by people who don't accept the cruelty of life... if you aren't protected under a #10, that is. But what I do not defend is the misuse of this most sacred and precious text.

The reason I am giving this it's own section is because I feel it is the most important factor one should know about Geek Squad. I mean, you seriously have to wonder why someone would choose to use a service, such as Geek Squad, which costs double or more what your neighborhood nerd may charge. I honestly think it comes down to the false assumption of trust and dependability. Some kid on the corner... how could you trust him? What if he breaks your computer?! What if he searches your computer for those pictures you took of yourself on vacation, but thought you deleted?! What if he steals your username and passwords?! But... what if he already works for Geek Squad?

This is where it all comes back to the psychological game, costumes, and fancy catchphrases. It is to trick the customer into believing that they are in the presence of people who cannot—or even are less likely to—destroy their computer, steal their information, or do anything else that someone without a fancy uniform may be more inclined to do, despite the fact that customers sign off on the glorious #10, which allows Best Buy complete carte blanch. The only protection a customer has is the assumption that a company will be good. Sadly, I witnessed first hand just how not good a company, with such protection as #10, can be.

It was during the death of customer centricity and the shortage of hours that Geek Squad began to get backed up with computers. Apparently, computers began to build up faster than they could be repaired, which was causing problems with the management. Basically, the turn-around time on every computer is logged, so from the time a computer comes in until the time it goes out, the system monitors how long it takes. I'm not sure what this data is used for specifically, but it obviously put a lot of pressure on to the managers to rectify the situation. But what can you do when you have a wall full of computers with problems ranging from viruses to corrupted hard drives, no money to give more hours out to bring in more techs to work on them, and a ticking Big Brother-esque software program haunting you from the monitor? I am not sure what I would do, but I do know what was done. I plead the 10th!

The procedure taken to catch up on the computers was to take any computer currently in line to be fixed, or being dropped off to be fixed, and—if it had a software or operating system issue—wipe it, and reinstall Windows. Then, when the customer was given back his or her computer, an agent would inform them that due to an error, their data was lost. If they protested, the agent would be considerate, but in the end, if need be, point out #10 and their signature beneath it. For those that do not understand "wipe", it refers to completely deleting all data off the hard drive, and re-installing a fresh version of the Windows operating system. One supportive comment given by a manager, after a obligatory chuckle, was, "Oh well, they should have bought a data backup!" I never took part in this strategy, thankfully, as I was forced onto the floor to help people with their purchases after I was caught by a manager informing customers it would be better if they went to the Geek Squad a few towns over until we catch up.

We Use to be Efficient... Then We Got Sued - Software Licenses Don't Like Corporations.

Keeping with the theme of differences between Geek Squad and a hobo with a thumb drive, let me ask you... what can a Geek Squad agent do better that someone else cannot? If your answer is "charge more", then you are correct, but you missed what I am fishing for. If your answer is "nothing", then you win an all expenses paid trip for your hand to your back for a weekend of patting. Good job!

At first, Geek Squad was great. We were better than great... we were, like I said, a concentration of the most uber of computer savvy people you've ever seen. We didn't care that we were called "Geeks" because we had no friends, and therefore no one to worry about laughing at us. We were stereotypes, and we were good at our jobs. But why were we good at our jobs? Because we used good software, and knew how to use it well. That's all a technician is... just a person that memorizes what should be used for what problems, and then knows how to click or type some commands... similar to a doctor picking the right scalpel, just with less blood in our patients.

But, alas, most of us geeks were previously computer technicians before working for Geek Squad, and thus, we had our own various secret ingredients of software. Software that was completely legal to use... until we got hired by Geek Squad. You see, many software titles come with freeware licenses for personal use. Geek Squad was definitely not considered "personal use". It didn't take long for some of the more popular flavors of virus removers, scanners, and diagnostic tools to start recognizing the huge amounts of bandwidth being seeped away by Best Buys all around the country, and soon, the lawsuits would come.

Best Buy fought the lawsuits, and then sent down marching orders to managers to start reprimanding Geek Squad agents. At first, it was more of a "wink-wink", "nudge-nudge" warning, however, soon it was a serious matter which could end with serious consequences. This is when Geek Squad got more stern with its "approved software" lists, as well as copies of their proprietary CDs containing various automated fixes. This is where Geek Squad stopped being a service, and started being strictly an entertainment segment of Best Buy that fiddled with computers.

Now, the difference between a Geek Squad agent and a hobo with a thumb drive is that the hobo with a thumb drive has the potential to efficiently fix your problem. If you don't understand, then let me help you envision the reality of viruses and their removal: When a new virus hits the internet, many times, there will be some lone programmer that will write a simple program that will fix the virus in a click or two. Many times, there are multiple programmers with multiple versions of fixes. These programs are released for free under licenses that restrict corporations from touching them. This means that the hobo with a thumb drive may be able to fix your problem for $20 in 15 minutes, while a Geek Squad agent, with no legal ability to use the efficient program, may charge you $80 or more, take days to work on it, and in the end, might be forced to offer the "only solution" as a reformat... which you will also pay for.

Again, if you do not believe me, or feel I am exaggerating in this or anything else I have said... feel free to test my claims. Infect a computer with a virus that has a simple one-click fix tool, bring it to a Geek Squad, and ask them how much to fix it. Maybe offer them the program and say you think it may help?

Remember Those Photos You Thought You Deleted? - New Computers are like Easter Egg Hunts.

If there were a competition between a Playboy editor, a photo lab technician, and a voyeur for the person who has seen the most random pictures of naked people... the only way any of them would win is if the Geek Squad agent was late to the contest.

Again, this must all go back to the psychological game that is played with customers, but it astonishes me how trusting people are with their computers. If I walked into your house right now and asked to use your computer, you would probably be, at the least, a bit curious... if not screaming. But put me in my Geek Squad uniform, give me my badge, and put me in my VW Beetle, and you are anxious to give up your seat. Too add to it, every Geek Squad agent is equipped with a USB thumb drive, which is basically a tool used for storage of our tools... or any other data an agent might like.

Are you aware that you can locate every image and movie located on your hard drive by just using the windows search function? Did you know that, especially if you use Internet Explorer, Windows keeps an easily retrievable record of many of your usernames and passwords to almost any website (including banking websites), whether or not you save your password manually? I understand that if you need your computer fixed, there are not many options, but at least if someone is fixing your computer in front of your eyes, you can make sure they don't go for a scavenger hunt in your hard drive.

Let me make it clear again: if you have any interesting pictures of yourself or others on your computer, then they—will—be—found. Some geeks are like bloodhounds when it comes to pornography.

Moral of the Story - Pencils Down.

The point of me writing this, again, was not to try to scare you away from using Geek Squad, and because of that, I will not dive into more sinister stories of stealing money, parts, and other heinous acts committed at the store I called home. Why? Because Best Buy and Geek Squad are not a single entity... they are made up of individuals who are entrusted with the company brand, as well as providing its services. Very sadly, some of those individuals acted in ways that ended up destroying a company that my fellow agents, and I, sorely miss.

Some rumors you may hear are true, others, however, may just be the act of a single employee, not of Geek Squad as a whole. The main aspect I hope I have conveyed to any readers is that, if you must use Geek Squad, you must not allow yourself to be tricked by the game. Ignore the costumes, ignore the cute stickers, and ignore the smiles and the jokes. Read what you sign, and ask questions. Don't feel pressured by salesmen "not on commission". And always remember that there are still many Geek Squad agents who know what they are doing, and who are honest, however, sadly, they might not be allowed to speak to customers due to the low returns on sincerity.

And finally, the current structure of many Geek Squads today is an insult to so many agents, including myself. While there will of course be many that will stand by Geek Squad no matter what, I can not blame them... its hard to want to realize that, due to circumstances outside of your control, your pride, your ethics, your morality, and your integrity all have a price... which happens to be that of the company's stock.

-Anonymous

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