The Norton Antivirus Email Scam

By | February 9, 2022

 

 

The Norton Antivirus Email Scam

The following question/comment was posted in the comments section of our website by Joann.  Joann received an official-looking email made to look like it came from Norton thanking her for her payment of $399.

Joann wrote…

Please help! I don’t know what to do. I already had presented the problem but it was not accepted because it was determined to be a possible fraud. I have received a “thank you for payment” for $399.00 from renewing a Norton anti-virus, which I’ve never had. I have Emsisoft & have had it for a number of yrs. I will not type in the man’s name because I wonder if that sent up a red flag causing my problem to not be accepted. I have NOT touched anything at all on the “thank you notice” for fear of making a horrendous error. Please help me right away if possible. I’m ever afraid to continue to use my computer at all. Thank you ever so very much. Joann B.

We answered Joann’s plea for help in the comments section and here we expand upon it so that everyone will know about this increasingly popular scam and how to avoid becoming a victim.

Hi Joann. It’s a scam, Joann. Delete the email. This scam has been going around for months. See this article… and this one… and this one.

According to Snopes.com…

Since at least 2021, an email scam has targeted victims with the claim that Norton had renewed their annual membership subscriptions. Some of the scam renewal emails mentioned Norton Total Protection, Norton Total All Round Security, Norton 360, Norton 360 Auto Edition, Norton PC Life, Norton Family All Device, and Norton LifeLock. Turns out, a few of these weren’t even real Norton products. We looked into these emails, which are in fact part of a known “phishing” operation aimed at tricking recipients into divulge (sic) private information.

How the Norton Email Scam Works

The phone number listed in some of the Norton scam emails was 760-248-4214. We called the number knowing that the whole thing was a ruse. We were connected to a scammer who may have been located in a foreign call center. The scammer asked for the invoice number in the email.

This is known as a refund scam. The emails claimed that a payment had been successfully processed to renew a Norton subscription. However, this was nothing more than a fake set up for the scam.

The goal for the scammers was for consumers to respond by email or phone to ask for a refund for the supposed Norton product renewal. The scammers eventually would ask for bank account or credit card details, claiming that a refund would be processed. In reality, they would take the financial information and attempt to steal funds…

The more informed you are the less afraid you’ll be and the less the chances are that you’ll become a victim. The articles we linked will help you understand how these kinds of scams work and how to avoid becoming tricked by them..

We hope this helps you, Joann, and others who are unlucky enough to find this scammy email in their inbox. 

These kinds of scams can happen to you too. Being informed is the best way to protect yourself from becoming a victim. 

 

3 thoughts on “The Norton Antivirus Email Scam

  1. Joann Bolen

    Thank you so very much for your solid & much appreciated advice. Some FB Buddies said to delete it & others said to just leave it there but ignore it. I’m glad you’ve addressed it & advised to delete it!

    I knew it was fraudulent & I certainly was NOT going to click on anything within it!

    I feel so much better having heard straight from you.

    Love & Friendship, Joann

    Reply
  2. Dawn Campbell

    I hate Norton and any one thing that has their name on it goes straight to the spam account!!

    Reply
  3. Steve

    I told the person responding that they ere about to be sued. I asked for their legal department. I was told I would be transferred to their legal Dept and was put on hold. Anyone want to file a class action?

    Reply

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