#Norton antivirus scam full#

They also trick people into calling them by sending text messages or emails, or they use pop-up messages from your operating system or browser that can look quite legitimate. These criminals sometimes cold-call directly by phone. Scammers have claimed to be tech support from Norton, LifeLock, or NortonLifeLock to create trust and trick consumers into communicating with these fake tech support agents. Phishing emails that direct you to call and cancel a pending credit card charge or access tech support can lead to fraud as well. If you’re not sure if the email you’ve received is real, we have some tips to help out. To establish their credibility, scammers may represent that they know supposedly “personal” information about you, but a lot of this information can be gathered through easily found public information. While some of these phishing emails contain typos, misspellings, or poor formatting, others are impressively professional. It can also allow scammers to place other malware on your machine that can be used to record your keystrokes, spy on you, or access your financial information. Unfortunately, you’ll only reach fake tech support scammers, discussed more below. It may pop up fake virus warnings and try to get you to call an 800 number for support. Some links lead to installing malware on your computer. Unfortunately, these links do not lead to legitimate NortonLifeLock websites, but instead to sites controlled by the scammer. Many of the spam emails using Norton, LifeLock, or NortonLifeLock names include offers with fake links to buy or renew antivirus or other security services. Phishing emails often look like a renewal notice, stating your credit card will be billed unless you call the number listed. Most include an urgent request that you contact someone, asking the reader to sign on to a spoof site, open an attachment, call an 800 number, or respond with personal or account information.

They may also include warnings about expired antivirus settings or an infection on your computer. Here are a few of the scams and tactics to watch for.Įmails and text messages that impersonate NortonLifeLock often try to create a sense of urgency by threatening to charge your credit card unless you respond. We urge you to protect yourself by being aware of these common scams, which start through email, phone, text, and sometimes even your browser. We are continuously working to block, shut down, and otherwise prevent this abuse, but scammers are also continually innovating ways to avoid our detection and defraud people. So it is smart to be skeptical about any unexpected contact you receive-no matter how trusted the brand. The bad guys don’t stop with our brands-they also use the names and brands of major banks, telecoms, retailers, and credit card companies. These criminals fraudulently use our brand names and branding to try to trick and defraud consumers. They hope that you are too distracted by all the activity to identify their tricks.Īs a trusted name in consumer Cyber Safety, NortonLifeLock brands are unfortunately used by hackers and scammers to take advantage of the trust we have built.

#Norton antivirus scam full#

Scammers take advantage of the busiest times of year, including holidays, when email inboxes are full of promotions, receipts, and other content.