Email Scam: MacAfee Symantec 'You received this email because we received a request for activation for your account.'

Email and Online Scams -

Have You Received a Scam Email?
Billing Team, supposedly from Symantec Corp - MacAfee, claiming 'You received this email because we received a request for activation for your account.' Version 2

Did you receive an email from Billing Team, supposedly from Symantec Corp - MacAfee, claiming 'You received this email because we received a request for activation for your account.'? Did they then instruct you to call +1(800) 280-4693 or something similar?

Well, don't fall for it.  It is a scam, and if you call them back or follow their instructions you will lose money and possibly your identity! The people behind this are the worst kind of human scum; willing to do anything to scare, threaten, lie, cheat and steal money from anyone, including the elderly and poor. They usually operate out of Nigeria, China, Russia and even some developed western countries. Attachments typically include malware to infect your computer, tablet or phone and allow the scammer to capture your passwords.

This scam also includes a PDF file attached to the email, named "MacAfee Secure Service Copy.pdf".  Obviously, DO NOT OPEN it!

You can see another version of this scam here

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1. Report received:

   From: Billing Team [mailto:eloisepaule101@gmail.com]
   Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 8:08 AM
   To:
   Subject: Invoice

   McAfee Secure Service Summary of your recent order. If you have any questions or wanted to cancel your order,  For any query +1(800) 280-4693 Order # Amount McAfee Secure ™ Core Security Plus Annual Subscription $249.99 McAfee Core| Granite Gray $200.00 RENEWED ON : Today TRANSACTION STATUS : Auto Debited From Checking account Total $449.99

   Our Address 1293 S. Broadway Ave Unit 2 Denver, CO 80211 Office HQ Symantec Corporation 350 Ellis Street Mountain View, California 94043 USA

   You received this email because we received a request for activation for your account. If you didn't request this renewal you can reach us at  +1 (800)280-4693   Symantec Corporate Office Headquarters Symantec Corporation 350 Ellis Street Mountain View, California 94043 USA Download PDF File

    

Information About Billing Team, supposedly from Symantec Corp - MacAfee, claiming 'You received this email because we received a request for activation for your account.'

 

It is a scam

Don't fall for it.  It is a scam. Symantec uses its own email addresses, not Gmail, like "mcglynnoren142@gmail.com". Seriously? That's an obvious clue.

What to do

Just ignore it and delete the email. Do not click on anything in the email.

You can report phishing emails and texts to the FTC for investigation by forwarding them to spam@uce.gov and filing a report with the FTC.

Apple offers the following advice:

If you get a suspicious Email:
Scammers spoof phone numbers and use flattery and threats to pressure you into giving them information, money, and even iTunes gift cards. Always verify the caller's identity before you provide any personal information. If you get an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Apple, hang up and contact us directly.

Microsoft says:

Tech support scams are an industry-wide issue where scammers use scare tactics to trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services that supposedly fix contrived device, platform, or software problems.
Scammers may call you directly on your phone and pretend to be representatives of a software company. They might even spoof the caller ID so that it displays a legitimate support phone number from a trusted company. They can then ask you to install applications that give them remote access to your device. Using remote access, these experienced scammers can misrepresent normal system output as signs of problems.

Cybercriminals don't just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call you on the telephone and claim to be from Microsoft. They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Once they have access to your computer, they can do the following:

Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.

See these pages for guidance as applicable to your specific situation:

• If you are certain you don't owe a debt: What to do about harassing Emails
• If you may owe a debt: Debt collection Emails - what they may do, what the may not do and how to stop them
• If you are being harassed by the collector: file a compliant against a debt collector with the FTC - Use this form to submit a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection about a particular company or organization..
• How to stop telemarketers

Protect Yourself:

The following documents and websites can help you learn more about phishing and how to protect yourself against phishing attacks.

• Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
• Protecting Your Privacy
• Understanding Web Site Certificates
• Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG)
• Federal Trade Commission, Identity Theft
• Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams

Methods of Reporting Phishing Email to the US Government

• In Outlook Express, you can create a new message and drag and drop the phishing email into the new message. Address the message to phishing-report@us-cert.gov  and send it.
• In Outlook Express you can also open the email message^* and select File > Properties > Details. The email headers will appear. You can copy these as you normally copy text and include it in a new message tophishing-report@us-cert.gov .
• If you cannot forward the email message, at a minimum, please send the URL of the phishing website.

* If the suspicious mail in question includes a file attachment, it is safer to simply highlight the message and forward it. Some configurations, especially in Windows environments, may allow the execution of arbitrary code upon opening and viewing a malicious email message.

For More Information About Phishing, See:

• Click Here for a copy of NCL's Phishing Brochure.  Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader'.
• How Not to Get Hooked by a 'Phishing' Scam  [PDF version]
  Offers tips on how to avoid falling victim to a new type of spam scam in which consumers are deceived into handing over personal financial information.
• Is Someone "Phishing" for Your Information?  [PDF version]
  Cautions consumers about emails that claim to be from government agencies in an attempt to steal personal information.
• Digital PhishNet Web site.
• Phish Report Network - a cooperative effort by several companies providing an information clearinghouse that will be run by WholeSecurity, a provider of client-side security solutions.
• Internet Crime Prevention & Control Institute, a cooperative effort between Zero Spam Network Corp. and the University of Miami. Staffed by Miami undergraduate and graduate students and Zero Spam employees, works closely with the Secret Service's Electronic Crimes Task Force and ISPs in the United States and abroad to identify and block traffic to machines hosting phishing sites.
  • Report A Crime
  • FTC Fraud Reporting

There are several websites that focus on reports of scam Emails.

The links below go to pages on these other websites were you can read reports about the scams associated with this phone number (855-687-1444, claiming This is Microsoft. This call is to inform you that your Microsoft license key has expired):

• Microsoft Safety and Security Center
• Microsoft Community - Windows Support Scam - I was called by someone who said they were windows support and my computer was sending them warnings and messages!
• ARS Technica

Related Scams

There are a number of common telephone scams, such as:

• Collect Call scams
• Inmate collect call scams
• Phone service is about to be cut off
• Telemarketers

and some new and as yet, uncommon scams.

 

For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.