Email scams are on the rise, so you need to stay vigilant, so you don’t fall victim to them. One of the latest scams going around is the subscription renewal scam. We’ve seen reports of subscription renewal scams for popular services such as Netflix and SiriusXM. Read to find out what this scam is all about, so you don’t become a victim of it.
How Subscription Renewal Scam Work
A subscription renewal scam is an email phishing scam in which scammers trick you into entering your credit card information because you think you are renewing your subscription or membership that has expired.
These scammers are clever. They will first send you an email saying your subscription has expired or is up for renewal. The email will look like it’s coming from the legitimate business with the company’s logo. It will look familiar because it appears to be from the company you subscribed to, and it may even arrive around the same time that your subscription is about to expire.
The scammer will try to create confusion and worry by sending an email that says your subscription will auto-renew for a certain dollar amount. They will then ask you to click a link to renew your subscription. Once you click the link, you will be taken to a page where you will be asked to enter your payment information. Unfortunately, the website and email are fake, and the scammers will be able to access your credit card information.
In addition to the fake link to the scammer’s website, the email will also contain a fake customer service phone number that you can call to renew your subscription. If you’re not careful, you might end up calling the fake customer service number and giving your credit card information by phone instead. Always be careful when you get subscription renewal emails from businesses because they might be scams.
Real Life Examples of Subscription Renewal Scams
Here is an example of an actual scam reported to Better Business Bureau. The consumer wrote “Received an email on 1/3/2024 that “my Sirius XM account has expired!” This email came in one day after my normal Sirius XM renewal date. The email wanted me to go to a website and “insert” my credit card info. … Before proceeding, I logged into my actual Sirius XM account and verified it had automatically renewed as normal. What threw me off at first was that the scammer somehow knew my renewal date. I did not lose any money.”
Here is another example that was reported to the Better Business Bureau. This victim received an email from what looked like Netflix. The victim lost $189.95 in this scam, and his credit card information was exposed to the scammer.
“Scammer sent me an email saying my Netflix account expired. And it looked like it could have been an email from Netflix. Within the body of the email it said credit card would not be charged but was needed for identification purposes only. As soon as I put in my credit card information I was charged $189.95 for a subscription to a place called “Healthy Habbits Hub 2024″. Which does have a web site with contact information, a refund policy, and an avenue to register an account to begin purchasing items. However, the entire web site is a scam. None of their contact info is legit and it’s not possible to register an account.”
How to Protect Yourself from the Subscription Renewal Scam
When you receive any email regarding subscription renewal, the first step is to give it a closer look. Does the email address seem suspicious, with random letters and numbers that do not make sense? Is the email poorly written, with spelling and grammatical mistakes?
The next step is to verify the email address. Go straight to the business to confirm the email. You could call the actual business to check your account and confirm the details of the subscription renewal. Remember, don’t use the customer service phone number on the email, since it could be a fake number.
Also, do not just do a quick search online for the phone number since the search results may bring up a fake, scammer phone number. Make sure that you find the legitimate website of the business and get the phone number from the actual business website.
What to Do if You Become Victim of the Subscription Renewal Scam?
If you become a victim to the subscription renewal scam, the first thing you should do is contact your credit card company right away. Request them to stop the fraudulent transaction and notify them that there may be more fraudulent charges to follow. Your credit card company will cancel your credit card and replace it with a new one, which will have a new card number.
Also, you should get in touch with the company that you allegedly renewed your subscription with. Inform them about the scam and double-check that your account is up to date. Renew your subscription if needed. You can also report the subscription renewal scam to the Better Business Bureau.
To avoid receiving future emails from that scammer, make sure to mark the email as spam. But when you do, be very careful and don’t click on any link on the email.
Get Your Free Subscription Tracker Printable
Do you often find it difficult to keep track of all your subscriptions? It can be frustrating to lose track of subscriptions and end up paying for services you no longer need or use. Also, if you ever get a subscription renewal email, you can easily look up the renewal date and company contact info. Download our free subscription tracker printable that you can print and keep in a binder. Check it out!
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