The fake renewal email: 'Your subscription renewed — call to cancel'

An email or invoice saying your Norton, McAfee, Geek Squad, or similar subscription just renewed for a few hundred dollars — with a phone number to call 'within 24 hours' if you want a refund — is a refund scam. There is usually no charge at all. The email's only job is to get you to call, where a fake agent 'refunds' you by mistake for too much money and pressures you to send the difference back by gift card or transfer.

What to do with the email

  1. Don't call the number in the email and don't click its links or open attachments.
  2. Check the source the slow way: open your bank/card app or statement and look for the charge. Then, if you actually have the product, sign in at the company's real website (address typed by you) and check renewal status.
  3. No charge = no problem. Delete the email or report it as phishing in your mail app.
  4. Charge present and not yours? That's ordinary card fraud — dispute it with the bank. It still doesn't involve the email's phone number.

Why the phone call is the trap

The scam needs your voice on the line: the 'agent' asks for remote access 'to process the refund', shows you a doctored bank screen where a $40 refund appears as $4,000, and then plays the panicked employee about to lose their job unless you return the excess. Every step after the call is choreography. Skipping the call skips the entire scam — no legitimate company runs refunds through cold-called customers and gift cards.

Already engaged? Stop all contact, uninstall any remote-access tool they used, call your bank and describe it as a refund scam, and change your email and banking passwords from a clean device. Full checklist: tech support scam recovery.

Common questions

The invoice looks real and has an order number. Is the charge real? Almost certainly not — order numbers and logos are copied or invented. Verify in the only trustworthy places: the official account page (typed in yourself, not from the email) and your bank/card statement. If neither shows the charge, there is nothing to cancel.

I called and they 'refunded' too much and want gift cards. What now? That over-refund is fake — they edit the bank page you're shown or move your own money between accounts. Stop contact, do not buy gift cards, and call your bank directly to explain; banks know this script well and can secure the account.

Related

Tech support scam pop-ups · Fake Windows Defender warning · Fake Error #268D3 · Fake ZEUS virus pop-up · Fake blue screen scam · Fake renewal email scam · Clicked a phishing link? · Fake Apple security warning · "Your computer has been locked" scam · Social Security scam calls · Fake Amazon account alerts · Someone has remote access to my computer