Fake antivirus renewal emails: how to check a suspicious message
“Your protection expires today.” The email looks familiar, uses a well-known logo and urges you to pay now. It may be a genuine reminder or an imitation. Before entering a password or payment details, check your subscription through a separate, trusted route.
Check the subscription inside your application
Open the antivirus application yourself, or visit the publisher’s official website using a known bookmark or a verified address. Check your account, plan name and expiry date against your invoice. A mismatch does not automatically prove fraud: you might have several accounts or subscriptions. It does mean you should investigate before paying.
Look at several warning signs together
- You do not recognise the product or account.
- The message demands immediate action, an unusual payment or a call to an unfamiliar number.
- The sender’s address or link destination does not match the organisation it claims to represent.
- You are asked for a sign-in code or told to install remote-access software.
A convincing logo and correct spelling do not authenticate an email. France’s Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr recommends looking at several warning signs and checking directly with the organisation: official phishing checklist, in French.
A browser window claims your computer has a virus
An alarming webpage is not a diagnosis of your computer. Do not call the number it displays or grant remote access. Close the page and check the situation using your existing security tools. The official guidance on fake technical support explains how scammers use fear to sell unnecessary assistance.
If you have already responded
Keep the message and relevant details without forwarding it widely. If you disclosed a password, change it through the genuine service and review the account’s recovery methods. If you shared bank details or made a suspicious payment, contact your bank through its usual channel promptly. The French public phishing guidance explains available reporting routes; readers elsewhere should use their local official service.
Before a genuine renewal
Check the subscription length, device allowance, supported systems and automatic renewal terms. A new licence and a renewal may require different steps. Browse antivirus and security products to compare offers, while checking your existing subscription separately.
