The Antivirus Renewal Invoice

You have an invoice saying your antivirus subscription renewed for hundreds of dollars, with a number to call to cancel.

An invoice lands saying your antivirus subscription just renewed for a few hundred dollars, and there's a phone number to call if you want to cancel. Before you dial, here's how the antivirus renewal invoice email scam works.

Norton LifeLock Total Protection - Invoice #NLT-88291. Your annual subscription has been renewed for $349.99. The amount will be debited from your account within 24 hours. To cancel or request a refund, call our billing desk: 1-833-555-0122.

Why this is a scam

There is no subscription and no charge. This invoice was sent to millions of inboxes; the scammers know most people never bought the product. The big number exists to make you call.

The phone number is the trap. A friendly "billing agent" offers to refund you, then asks you to log in to your bank or install a screen-sharing app to "process" it. Some fake an oversized refund and pressure you to send the difference back.

Real renewals don't work this way. A genuine charge shows up inside your account on the company's own website, and on your card statement; not just in an email.

Red flags

  • A renewal for software you never installed or bought.
  • A large, alarming amount; it's built to shock you into calling.
  • Cancellation is only possible by phone, right now.
  • The sender's address is not the brand's real domain.
  • No matching charge appears on your card statement.
  • Pressure wording like "will be debited within 24 hours".

How it works

Sticker shock. The invoice makes you feel money is already leaving, so you rush to the phone before you stop and check.

What to do

  • Check your card statement. No charge? No renewal. Delete the email.
  • If you do use that antivirus, log in to your account on the company's real website and check billing there.
  • Never call the number on an unexpected invoice.
  • Never install any app or share your screen for a "refund".
  • Report the email as phishing, then delete it.

Scam

Red flag

High confidence of a scam. The content, the sender, the intent and where its requests lead all point the same way. Do not reply, click, call or pay.

What to do next

Do not reply, click any link, call any number in the message or send money. If it claims to be from an organisation you know, contact them using details you already trust.

Likely to be a scam

Yellow flag

It asks you to act: a link, a number, a reply or a payment. Where that request leads is where the harm starts.

What to do next

Do not reply, click any link, call any number in the message or send money. If it claims to be from an organisation you know, contact them using details you already trust.

Likely to be a scam

Grey flag

Nothing is asked of you yet. The content, the sender or the intent do not add up. Scams like this start friendly and ask later.

What to do next

Do not reply at all, not even to say wrong number. A reply tells them the number is live. Block the sender and delete the message. If a request follows, check it again.

Looks normal

Green flag

High confidence this is normal. The content reads as expected, the sender has a safe history, and anything it asks leads somewhere legitimate. Accounts can be taken over, so if a request seems out of character, check again.

What to do next

No action needed. If the sender later asks for money, codes or personal details, check that message too.

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Scam

Red flag

High confidence of a scam. The content, the sender, the intent and where its requests lead all point the same way. Do not reply, click, call or pay.

Likely to be a scam

Yellow flag

It asks you to act: a link, a number, a reply or a payment. Where that request leads is where the harm starts.

Looks normal

Green flag

High confidence this is normal. The content reads as expected, the sender has a safe history, and anything it asks leads somewhere legitimate. Accounts can be taken over, so if a request seems out of character, check again.

Likely to be a scam

Grey flag

Nothing is asked of you yet. The content, the sender or the intent do not add up. Scams like this start friendly and ask later.

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Nothing has happened yet

Good. Checking first is the safest thing to do. Do not tap any link, reply, or call any number in the message. Block the sender and delete the message. If it claims to be from an organisation you know, contact them using details you already trust.

Change answer

You tapped a link

Opening a link does not usually take money or details on its own. The harm comes from what you do on the page it opens. If you entered nothing and installed nothing, close the page and do not go back to it. If it asked you to sign in, enter a code, or install something, and you did, choose Gave details instead.

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You gave details

Work through this in order. First, if you gave bank or card details, call your bank now on the number on your card. Next, change the password for any account you entered, and for any other account that uses the same password. If you shared a one-time code, tell the organisation it belongs to straight away. Then turn on two-step verification where you can, and watch your statements for anything you do not recognise.

Change answer

You sent money

Call your bank now, on the number on your card or in your banking app. Say: "I have been scammed and I need to stop a payment." The sooner they hear from you, the more they may be able to stop or recover. In the UK you can call 159 to reach your bank. Do not pay anyone who offers to get the money back. That is another scam.

Report it. US: ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and ic3.gov for online crime. UK: reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040; in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101. Australia: scamwatch.gov.au. Have ready the message, the sender's number or address, and any payment details.

What to do next

Do not reply, click any link, call any number in the message or send money. If it claims to be from an organisation you know, contact them using details you already trust.

Do not reply, click any link, call any number in the message or send money. If it claims to be from an organisation you know, contact them using details you already trust.

No action needed. If the sender later asks for money, codes or personal details, check that message too.

Do not reply at all, not even to say wrong number. A reply tells them the number is live. Block the sender and delete the message. If a request follows, check it again.

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The closest match is the scam described on this page.

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