McAfee scam emails: the fake renewal and the fake virus
An email saying your McAfee subscription has renewed or expired, or a pop-up saying your computer is infected, with a number to call or a link, is a scam.
McAfee says it will never make you call a number in an email or text, never call you to charge for support, and never ask for your Social Security number or passwords. The scammers want you on the phone, then on your computer, then in your bank.
What it looks like
An example written by HARD, not a real message. Real ones change wording often.
Email from McAfee Security <mcafee.billing@[a free email address]>
Your McAfee Total Protection has expired – your device is at risk
Your subscription ended today and 5 threats were found. Renew now at 80% off, or call our support line to keep your protection: [a link that isn’t mcafee.com]
Check the one you got
Paste what you were sent. HARD checks it in this browser with the same rules as the Is this legit? check in its apps. Nothing you paste leaves this page.
How to tell it’s fake
“We'll never require you to call a phone number in an email or text”
McAfee
- It wants you to call.
- McAfee says it never requires you to call a number from an email or text.
- It isn’t from a McAfee address.
- McAfee lists its real senders, such as [email protected] and [email protected]. A free email address is not McAfee.
- A pop-up says you’re infected.
- Browser pop-ups with alarms, countdowns and a support number are fake. McAfee’s own alerts come from the installed app, not a website.
- It asks for remote access or payment for support.
- McAfee says it won’t call to ask you to pay for customer service. The FTC says these callers ask for remote access.
If you clicked, called or paid
- Close the pop-up and don’t call.
- If a page won’t close, quit the browser completely and reopen it.
- If you let someone connect, disconnect.
- Turn off Wi-Fi, uninstall the remote-control app they asked for, and run a scan with security software you installed yourself.
- Call your bank if you paid or typed in card details.
- Use the number on the back of your card, not one from the message. Ask them to block the card, dispute the charge and watch for more. The sooner you call, the better the chance of stopping it.
- Change your passwords from another device.
- Email and banking first.
- Report it.
- At ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or to the FBI at ic3.gov. Outside the US: Report Fraud in the UK (reportfraud.police.uk, which replaced Action Fraud), Scamwatch in Australia, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in Canada. Forward scam texts to 7726 in the US, UK and Canada.
If it was your parents, read Look after your parents, and if a card number or password has gone, Breaches explains what each kind of leaked data lets criminals do.
The official way to check
- Sign in to your McAfee account yourself.
- McAfee says to log in to view genuine messages. Type mcafee.com; support is at mcafee.com/support.
- Look at your card statement.
- If McAfee hasn’t charged you, there is nothing to cancel.
Someone on the phone asking for money right now? Guides has the two-step answer. More scams by name are on Is this a scam?, and new ones reach the Situation Room.
Questions
Is the McAfee renewal email real?
If it asks you to call a phone number, McAfee says it isn’t. Sign in to your McAfee account by typing mcafee.com yourself to see your real subscription.
Is the McAfee virus pop-up real?
A website pop-up that says McAfee found viruses and gives a phone number is fake. Close the browser.
I gave a McAfee scammer remote access. What should I do?
Disconnect from the internet, remove the remote-control app, call your bank on the number on your card, and change passwords from another device.
Sources
Sources checked on 7 Nov 2026.
- McAfee: How to recognize McAfee scam emails and fake pop-ups, read 7 November 2026 in a browser (the page blocks automated readers): what McAfee never does, its real sender addresses, sign in to see genuine messages.
- FTC: How to spot, avoid and report tech support scams, September 2025: fake renewal notices using the Geek Squad, McAfee and Norton names; requests for remote access; fake refunds.
- FBI IC3: “Phantom Hacker” scams target senior citizens (I-091223-PSA), 29 September 2023: a fake tech support contact, then a fake bank, then a fake government agency, each moving your money to a “safe” account.