An email says your subscription renewed. Should you call?

The problem

An email or text arrives saying you have been charged, or soon will be, for the renewal of a service. It may use the name of a security product or a repair membership. The charge looks large. The message says that to dispute or cancel, you must call a number, often within a day.

The deadline and the number are what the message is built around. If you did not sign up for the service, there is nothing to cancel.

How it can happen

The FTC's alert on a fake Geek Squad renewal describes the pattern. The message says you will be charged hundreds of dollars to renew a membership, and that you must call within 24 hours to dispute it. When you call, the scammer may ask for remote access to your computer. With it, they can install spyware, steal online banking credentials and empty your account.

The FTC's tech support guidance says renewal notices of this kind often borrow the names of Geek Squad, McAfee or Norton. They push you to call quickly, get remote access, and then claim you were overpaid and need to send money back. Some scammers say they will refund you through your bank account, fake an overpayment and ask you to buy gift cards and send the numbers.

The FTC's phishing page notes the general signs: unexpected messages from a company that appears familiar, generic greetings, unfamiliar invoices, and links that ask you to pay or update payment details.

How to avoid it

1. Do not call the number in the message. The FTC says to avoid using the number included.
2. Check your own records. Look at your bank and card statements for a matching transaction. The FTC says that if you find no matching transaction, you can ignore and delete the message.
3. Contact the company on a number you know, such as one on a receipt, a card or an official website you type in yourself.
4. Do not click the link or open an attachment, especially if you did not expect an invoice. The FTC page on phishing asks whether you have an account with the company or know the person who contacted you.
5. Never give remote access. See the remote access request for what that means.
6. If you find an unauthorised charge, report it to your bank or card issuer and ask for a reversal.
7. If you clicked a link or opened an attachment, update your security software and run a scan.
8. Report it. Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and forward the email to reportphishing@apwg.org as the FTC suggests. Forward texts to 7726.

If you paid, shared personal details or gave access, follow what to do after you shared a code or gave someone access. The connected scam in which you are offered money back is described in the fake refund call.

Things to watch

• A charge for something you do not remember buying.
• A deadline of a day or less.
• A phone number in the message, rather than a link to your account.
• A request for remote access.
• A refund that becomes an overpayment, followed by a request for gift cards.
• A sender address that looks close to the company's, but not the same.

A fake invoice has no power until you act on it. Checking your statement takes a minute, and the result usually settles the matter.