Best Buy Employee Caught Perving Out
Perhaps Best Buy should have named its computer diagnostic and repair division Perv Squad. Following April's incident in which one of its Geek Squad technicians was caught videotaping a customer while she showered, a second employee has now been videoed copying porn files from a customer's computer onto his own drive.
The video was captured as part of a sting operation run by the Web site, The Consumerist. The Consumerist set up a PC with software to capture a video log of all on-screen activities. It then dropped off the PC at several different Geek Squad locations and asked for help with simple tasks like installing iTunes. Most technicians performed their duties without any snooping, sometimes even doing it for free at the counter. But one unnamed 'Agent' (as they call themselves) helped himself to personal folders sitting on the desktop. When he discovered they were full of pornographic images and video, he copied the folders onto a USB thumb drive.
The Consumerist ran the sting after an anonymous Geek Squad employee admitted that hunting for nudie pics on the hard drives of customers is a regular practice amongst technicians. When asked to comment on the video, a Best Buy official called it an isolated incident and asked for the name of the Agent in question so he could be fired. The Consumerist refused to name names, claiming that this was not an isolated incident, but proof of a systemic problem.
Either way, it's hilarious, and proof that it's always wise to remove anything you don't want discovered on your PC before taking it in for service -- with Geek Squad or anyone else.
From Boing Boing and The Consumerist
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lux Magna said 6:02PM on 10-23-2007
My tax information, SS# and documents about my kids are on my PC. Medical files, report cards, savings accounts, etc.
Little freaks should be prosecuted not just fired. But that would alert the world to the liability that BB faces when these things happen.
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rcdc said 10:13PM on 11-25-2007
If my recent experience is any indication, the Consumerist.org story is just the tip of the iceberg. After a laptop computer that I entrusted with Best Buy Tenleytown DC store was stolen from the store (I believe by an employee), I was lied to week after week by Geeksquad/Best Buy Customer Service employees about the repair status and location of the phantom computer. 3 months into the process, 1 employee finally came clean, confessing that "there was no indication that the computer EVER shipped from the store." The loss of my computer and its contents is a significant one, but it is nothing compared to the cost and concern that I must carry for years to come for protecting myself against identity theft. Involvement by the DC police, DC Attorney General, Better Business Bureau, etc. produced nothing but an insulting lowball compensation offer and equally insulting statements from Best Buy that they feel that they have addressed the situation "appropriately". Not once in the process did any employee or company representative prioritize (or even acknowledge) my vulnerability to identity theft.
I've filed criminal charges against the store, and have filed a major lawsuit with the hope that it will draw attention to Best Buy's systematic disregard for customers' property and personal information. I'd welcome comments from others who may be aware of similar incidents -- court and public scrutiny may be the only way to get Best Buy to take this issue as seriously as it should.
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Peoplerstupid said 9:22AM on 12-05-2007
to Lux Magna: Ok yes, looking at porn that is obviously on a customers computer is obviously stupid. This day in age if you are putting you SS and tax documents in files that are viewable without protection, you deserve for it to be stolen, you idiot. Why would you take it in without a password protect on you imporant files. Wake up.
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Sarah said 12:12PM on 12-18-2007
Similar to the story in the article, about a year ago I took my laptop to a geek squad in a best buy and when I got my laptop back it came with a CD-R professionally packaged and taped to the machine. I figured they had just saved some of my files after reformating my machine, instead it was porn.
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jbjj48 said 5:52PM on 1-17-2008
u never know who is watching u!!
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jbjj48 said 5:54PM on 1-17-2008
smile, ur on candid camera!!!
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Danielle said 9:22PM on 1-17-2008
I agree with the password protect on your important files. I have passwords on all my important data even if the computer is running fine, so that when the event happens that I have to take it in, I know those are in place.
Also, I don't think everyone is seeing these people who work at Geek Squad in the correct light. Of course computer geeks look at porn, and who else would the Geek Squad hire but computer geeks? I am not surprised at this, just taken aback that they would steal purchased items from someone else's computer. Even if it is porn.
And they have to check ALL the files to make sure there is no data corruption when they retrieve files or restore them. If there is a password in place, they know the data is fine, and move on, but if there is no password, they have to check, it's their job if they don't. And a hidden corruption if they don't check could mean a total loss of data the next time something goes wrong with your computer.
So if you don't want people peeking at your files, PROTECT THEM. Don't blame the Geek Squad for doing their jobs, fixing your computer when something goes wrong. I'm not absolving everyone who works there of blame, but you find these people working everywhere, and you have to always be on your guard. The people who are under the spotlight for wrongdoing should indeed be fired and possibly prosecuted, but the majority of people who work for Best Buy and the Geek Squad are decent, upstanding folk who are there trying to help you.
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Dnyce said 6:29PM on 1-18-2008
I know it's been a while since anyone has posted anything here but I feel like I have something important to add. I'm speaking as an X Firedog Tech for CCity. I know everything that goes on in there, and it isn't good. It's like going to a car shop. You have to know you can trust the person not to screw you. For the most part the only thing we were ever interested in in the customers computers was the music. Some other techs would look for pictures, but mostly it was the music.
On the other hand, a lot of the problems that we fixed involved a format with some data recovery. In that case we didnt have much of a choice but to look at all the personal files including pictures, documents, and music in order to transfer only the necessary items.
As for your computer disapearing rcdc, its sad to say that it does happen but it is very rare. And most of the time its not stolen by tech because it would be too easy to be caught. Usually it will be stolen by someone else in another dept. However, its not to say though that if a computer is taking weeks to come back from repair its because it was stolen. A lot of times computer CAN take weeks to come back from companies like HP/Compaq.
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Linda said 6:16PM on 3-17-2008
how do you password protect your important files?
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rcdc said 8:51PM on 7-28-2008
Under normal circumstances, you might be right, but given that the reason I had to take my laptop in for repair at Best Buy was because the machine stopped turning on (malfunctioning on/off switch), I didn't have too many options. Under normal circumstances, customers do have responsibilities, for sure, but Best Buy has a legal obligation to safeguard customers' property against theft, disclose the theft to a customer immediately, and notify customers of potential exposure to identity theft as soon as they are aware of it. The issue is the company-wide failure to fulfill privacy protection obligations, not password protection.
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Insider said 12:46AM on 3-18-2009
I AM a former Best Buy Inc. tech and I can tell you from LOTS of experience, this happens all the time! One of the first things some guys do is scan the HDD for pics, especially if it was checked in by a chick. I am sad to say that more often than not they usually found something too, it seems this is becoming the fad lately for chicks to be taking pics of themselves (thanks Paris). First, this was but one customer disservice I witnessed there and by far not the worst, not even remotely close. They advertise their techs as "A+ Certified" and perhaps 5% actually are. Second, why anyone would take their computer in to be serviced knowing these pics are on there is beyond me, that doesn't justify the theft but come on people, a jump drive is $5! My advice: stay far, FAR away from Best Buy, Future Shop and all associated stores, and tell your family/friends too!
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jen said 11:00PM on 4-09-2009
You guys are arrogantly ignorant if you don't think the ANY male teen or twenty something guy isn't going to be looking for porn. REGARDLESS of where you service your computer. Is it right? Prob not, but it's human (male) nature. This article puts the spotlight on Best Buy because we are a HUGE corporate retailer. Agents are trained to report anyone with child pornography. Snooping and spying are crossing the line but if you take your computer in to get serviced, you're stupid if you think techs will put on blinders when they do set ups or what have you. and Best Buy is not the only place....
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