[acveilleux]

If it was for free, the FBI would get tipped off when a Geek Squad employee accidentally came upon something incriminating. No worries there.

By paying them 500$ (remembering that Geek Squad pay is shit) they incentivize the GS employees to go out of their way to snoop and, quite frankly, to try to broaden the range of what is incriminating as far as they can get away with while still getting a commission. How long before someone with a need for cash decides to plant evidence?

This is different. It's a fishing expedition outsourced to skirt over the 4th amendment.