“Your subscription has renewed. Amount charged: $349.99. If you did not authorise this, call us now.” The message may be fake, but the panic it creates is real, and the number to call is the point of the whole scam.
How Fake Renewal Notices Work
Most of these messages target the fear of an unexpected charge for a product you may or may not have used: antivirus software, a streaming service, a cloud-storage plan, a well-known retailer’s membership, or a PayPal-style “invoice.” Typical variants:
- Callback phishing: The email or text contains no link, just a phone number. When you call, the “support agent” asks for remote access, card details or a code to “cancel the order” or “process a refund.”
- Fake invoice attachment: A PDF or image with the logo of a real brand and a large amount, designed to prompt a call or a click rather than be read closely.
- Login-page phishing: A link to “manage subscription” or “cancel now” that opens a fake sign-in page to steal your password and card.
- Refund trap: A caller “refunds” too much money and asks you to return the difference, or uses a screen-sharing app to move money between your own accounts so it looks like an overpayment.
- Fake app-store receipts: Messages imitating Google Play or Apple billing receipts for an app you don’t recognise.
How to Verify a Renewal Without Using the Message
- Don’t engage with the message. Don’t reply, call the number, scan a QR code or click anything. Don’t forward the attachment to colleagues.
- Check your real subscriptions. On Android, open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon and go to Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap your name and choose Subscriptions. For a service you pay directly, sign in by typing its address yourself.
- Check your bank or card statement. Open your banking app and look for the charge, the merchant name and the date. Compare it with the amount in the message. If there is no such charge, there is nothing to cancel.
- Match the sender. Compare the sender address or number with previous genuine messages from the service. Remember that sender names can be spoofed, so a match isn’t proof.
- Look inside your account for the notice. Many real services also show billing messages inside their app or account page. If nothing is there, the email isn’t from them.
- If there is a real unwanted charge, cancel it through the service or app store, then ask the service for a refund through its official support channel. If you can’t get one, ask your card issuer about a dispute.
Priya receives an email: “Your 2-year security suite has been renewed for $349.99. To cancel and get a refund, call 1-800-000-0000 within 24 hours.” A PDF invoice is attached with a well-known antivirus logo.
Priya has never bought it. She opens her banking app and finds no such charge, then checks the subscriptions page in her phone’s app store: nothing there either. She deletes the email and doesn’t call the number.
What mattered: she checked the account, not the message, and ignored the countdown.
Red Flags
- A product you don’t remember buying, or a very large amount
- A short deadline to “cancel” or “dispute” the charge
- A phone number instead of a link, or a request to download a remote-access or “refund” tool
- Payment details already shown as “processed” with no way to see them in your own account
- Generic greeting, odd grammar, mismatched sender and brand, or a PDF that opens only on request
- Requests for gift cards, cryptocurrency or a code “to confirm cancellation”
If You Already Called or Clicked
- You gave remote access: disconnect from the internet and follow what to do after giving a stranger remote access.
- You gave card or bank details or a code: call your bank using an official number and see what to do after sharing an OTP.
- You typed a password on a login page: follow Account Hacked? What to Do.
- Otherwise, use Been Scammed? What to Do in the First Hour.
Fake customer-support numbers are a related problem; see Fake Customer Care Numbers, and for email red flags, How to Spot Phishing Emails.
Key Takeaways
- Verify the charge in your own bank statement and app-store subscriptions, never through the message.
- Phone numbers in renewal notices often lead to remote-access and refund scams.
- No charge in your accounts means nothing to cancel.
- If you engaged, secure your device, accounts and bank straight away.
Got a renewal notice you don’t recognise?
Paste the message or screenshot into ScamSense for a risk assessment before you call or click. It is an extra check, not a guarantee — confirm the charge in your own account.
Start 3-Day Free TrialFrequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if a subscription renewal email is fake?
What is callback phishing?
Is it safe to open the PDF invoice?
How do I check my subscriptions on Android and iPhone?
What if the charge is real but I don’t want it?
Note: This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Procedures, deadlines and refund rights differ by country, bank and payment method. Always use contact details from your bank’s official app, website or the back of your card. ScamSense helps you assess suspicious content but cannot guarantee that any message, link or caller is safe or unsafe.