[01-17-2017] WTAG – Craig Peterson
Could your next computer repair be the way to get you to jail? Or is your computer an accessory to a crime?
FBI apparently has informants from GeekSquad, and could be checking in on your harddrive.
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Related articles:
The FBI Is Apparently Paying Geek Squad Members To Dig Around In Computers For Evidence Of Criminal Activity
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Transcript
WTAG – 2017-01-17_ FBI-Informants-Checking-Your-Computer-at-the-Geeksquad
Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.
Airing Date: January 17, 2017
Craig Peterson: Every Tuesday morning I’m on with Jim Polito covering the state of Mass., Central and Western Mass. Today, we talk a lot about what’s going on with government spying and FBI informants over at Geeksquad.
(JIM POLITO’S EARWORM)
Jim Polito: He’s the man. Letting us know about the Geeksquad. Could be looking in my hard drive and talking to the FBI. Joining me now, Craig Peterson. Good morning sir.
Craig: Hey good morning Jim. Boy, you’re really rolling this morning.
Jim: Yeah, we got a lot going on. I’m sorry we went late. But you know, when my girlfriend Cathy calls, I have to take the call. Yeah. She’s in love with me.
Craig: That’s alright…
Jim: She can’t stop listening to this. You there’s a thin line between love and hate.
Craig: Well that’s true. And your looks Jim. I can totally understand.
Jim: Craig, you’re good. You’re very good. Hey, so look. Not that I’m against catching child pornographers. However, you sent me some, what I would think is disturbing information. Geeksquad at Best Buy, working directly with the FBI in some locations? What’s that all about?
Craig: Oh this is really interesting. So, I came across this article over on Techdirt and started digging around on it and I spoke to a Geeksquad employee, a former employee, to try and verify it myself coz it’s just puzzling. So, let’s say you work for Geeksquad.
Jim: Ok.
Craig: How much you think those guys make an hour, give or take?
Jim: Uhm, they could have made some good money, don’t they? They have to. You know when you’re asking them to help you with stuff, they seem to know what they’re doing.
Craig: They do. You know so maybe $20, $30 an hour at the high end.
Jim: Yeah, coz they have to be right. It can’t be… you can’t just train somebody to do that like you would train someone to be a server in a restaurant.
Craig: Yeah, it’s much different these guys and gals. They kinda know their stuff. So, I joined this thing with the federal government years ago right after 911. And what it did was it wanted everyone to kinda be aware, right? If you see something, say something type thing.
Jim: And I think that’s fine.
Craig: Yeah. And it makes a whole lot of sense. And in fact there’s mandated reporters and things, but we won’t get into that right now. So they went a little further. They took it and said, hey listen now. You guys, plumbers are going to houses. If you see something let us know.
Jim: Yeah.
Craig: The postman, the delivery guys. All of the people who have access to your house. And I think that all kinda makes some sense as well, right? You know, if you see something that you think is illegal or is likely to be illegal or harmful to someone, you know the average person’s gonna say something anyways and I think that makes a whole lot of sense.
Jim: I’m alright with it.
Craig: Now, when I was talking to this ex-Geeksquad member, I asked him about this. Because apparently what’s happening is there are FBI informants working at Geeksquad. And according to this guy I spoke with, 500 buck bounties. $500. So the guy you bring in your computer, it isn’t working, it’s slow, it’s got viruses, whatever the problem is. And the Geeksquad, the $20 an hour Geeksquad guy, if he pokes around in your machine, you know he’s just looking around.
Jim: Yeah.
Craig: Ok? It’s part of his work. Then he gets $500. What do you think this guy is gonna spend some time doing?
Jim: Oh, they’re gonna be looking all through the C drive for anything they can find.
Craig: They’re looking for everything they can find. That’s what this guy said. He said, you know some people are obsessed with this. Because you can make quite a few grand a month extra by reporting on people. Now this is a trend that really has increased here over the last 8 years or so. It kinda started under Bush and then it just gone absolutely haywire. But I get really concerned when we have all of these people now being paid to be informants. That the guy delivering packages might be an informant for them. And just reporting for the sake of reporting. And unfortunately it just… you know, you’ve lost the argument when you bring up Hitler, right? But it reminds me of the brown shirts.
Jim: Yeah, it is a little bit. I don’t like… I don’t like some of the, you know, some of the big brother stuff. I like people looking out. I don’t have anything to hide…
Craig: Quote, unquote.
Jim: But I just think… Yeah.
Craig: Well, how about this. He’s got access to your computer and he wants to make 500 bucks and he just happens to have some child porn on his own drive that he could put in your computer.
Jim: Oh, you’re right. And you know what? Hasn’t there been a story about hackers being able to, you know, one of the new things in hacking is getting into your computer, putting child pornography there. Like setting up someone.
Craig: Oh yeah.
Jim: And doing it in a way that, you know, the person would say, this is not mine. Sure it isn’t.
Craig: Yeah. I’ve been an expert witness in case like that out in New Jersey.
Jim: Really? Somebody tried to set somebody up.
Craig: Yeah. That’s exactly what it looks like. They ended up dropping all of the charges when I got involved.
Jim: Wow.
Craig: And explained to the prosecutors how this whole thing really works, you know. What can really happen.
Jim: Right.
Craig: But it’s more and more. It’s very concerning. And they’re watching us more closely. You know, your computer obviously, have to get it fixed and there’s ways to do it.
Jim: Yeah.
Craig: And it’s unfortunate it’s not just Geeksquad, right, that are doing this sort of thing.
Jim: It’s other folks that are doing it.
Craig: Yeah.
Jim: I just… I worry about that. Craig, I’m sorry we have an abbreviated segment here but what is the number people can text my name to and receive this information plus a lot of the other great stuff you have?
Craig: 855 385 5553. And we have direct links to this article and a whole bunch more.
Jim: Yeah. It’s all great stuff and folks, he will not pester you. Get on the Craig Peterson train because it’s great, great stuff. Craig, thanks so much. We’ll talk to you next week.
Craig: Aright. Thanks Jim.
Jim: Thanks Craig. Great guy folks. Everybody, you gotta text that number. Oh, standard data and text rates apply.
Craig: Make sure you subscribe to my daily podcast as well as my weekend radio show. Just go to http://craigpeterson.com/itunes. Talk to you tomorrow.
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