A reader found himself on the receiving end of a phishing scam:
“Yesterday I had an email on my cell phone stating that my Norton account expired on 3/1/2022 meaning January 3rd, 2022. Knowing that my account automatically renews I quickly logged onto Norton from my computer without opening the email and discovered that my Norton renewed the first week of December 2021.
Checking the email I had received from my computer again, the email had come from the UK and I quickly deleted it. I get so many emails from the UK.”
A fake renewal notice is the classic phishing scam, meant to trick you into offering up your credit card information. Sometimes crooks send notifications claiming that an account has already been renewed for a certain amount — normally several hundred dollars to get your blood boiling. When you call to stop the renewal, they claim to need your bank account or credit card information to return the money.
Sometimes these scammers will even pretend to refund you a large amount by mistake and attempt to trick you into sending that amount back to them. It’s crazy.
You did absolutely the right thing. When in doubt as to whether a notice about an account is legitimate, open up a browser window on your own and go check out your account. Don’t click on any links in a suspicious notice.
I’m including a link to a fun video where a scam buster ropes in a scammer and proceeds to waste their time in a spectacular fashion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mceb_t8EIs
Enjoy and stay vigilant!