Scam Overview The “Payment for McAfee Subscription” scam involves emails sent to victims stating they owe money for a McAfee subscription purchase. The emails appear to come from McAfee and contain fake invoices with various threats if victims don’t pay. Scammers use two main strategies with this scam: Demanding payment for a nonexistent subscription purchase. The emails claim you bought McAfee AntiVirus or another product and must pay an outstanding invoice. Threatening to cancel your current McAfee subscription if you don’t update your billing details. These emails say there’s an issue processing your McAfee renewal payment. In both versions, the emails contain a customer support phone number or link to call about the supposed subscription. But the numbers connect to elaborate overseas scam call centers instead of legitimate McAfee support. Once scammers get victims on the phone, they pivot to more sophisticated social engineering tactics. Using clever psychlogical tricks, they manipulate targets into handing over remote access to their devices. From there, scammers can install malware, steal personal data, and gain access to financial accounts. Some key facts about the “Payment for McAfee Subscription” scam: Long running scam – Has been active since at least 2016, with newer iterations each year. Scammers constantly shift their tactics. Preys on the elderly – Senior citizens are disproportionately targeted by tech support scams like this. Their lack of tech knowledge makes them more vulnerable. Overseas criminal gangs – Large cybercrime rings in India are behind most of these scams. They operate extensive fake call center networks. Heavy financial losses – The Internet Crime Complaint Center reported $56 million lost to tech support fraud in 2020. Average individual victim loss was $1,200. Difficult to prosecute – Foreign locations of most scam centers make legal action extremely difficult. Some arrests have been made in the U.S. and India though. Black market trade – Email and contact lists of potential victims are traded on black market sites to fuel these scams. This convoluted scam starts with a simple email but quickly escalates through social engineering tactics. Awareness of their devious methods is crucial to avoid becoming a victim. How the Scam Works The “Payment for McAfee Subscription” scam begins with an email designed to trick recipients into believing they owe money to McAfee. Let’s break down the deceptive tactics used in these emails step-by-step: 1. You Receive an Email About Owing McAfee Money The scam starts with an email arriving in your inbox that claims you owe money to McAfee for an unpaid subscription. The messages can take various forms: Fake invoice for a McAfee purchase you never made Notice your McAfee subscription is expiring Alert there is an issue processing your McAfee renewal payment Some examples: “Your McAfee subscription expired yesterday. Update your billing details immediately to renew and avoid service interruption.” “Our records indicate you have an outstanding payment of $499.99 for McAfee AntiVirus. Settle this invoice within 48 hours to avoid subscription cancellation.” “We were unable to process your annual McAfee renewal payment of $299.99. Kindly update your billing details to continue your subscription uninterrupted.” The emails appear credible, featuring official McAfee branding and logos. But they are sent from spoofed email addresses and really originate from scammers.

April 10, 2025

From: malamyalwamyalwa@gmail.com Date: April 10, 2025 at 11:02:23 AM CDT To: Subject: Payment for Transaction confirmed.  McAfee Delivery wrapping up Hello, We truly appreciate your ongoing support! Your subscription will be renewed automatically, and the payment of $310.00 will be processed within the next 12 hours. Plan Overview: Transaction No: Renewal Date: Friday, April 11, 2025 Item: Digital Security Shield - Abcd Quantity: 1x Tenure: 24 Months Renewal Fee: $310.00 Refund and Cancellation Inquiries: We're here to ensure a smooth process. For any concerns about refunds or cancellations, reach out to us via the details in our refund policy. With appreciation, McAfee, Inc. Telephone Support:- 888-370-7438

April 10, 2025

Fake "your loan or government grant has been pre-approved/approved" scam by madarchod criminals phoning from India. This is a fake financial services loan scam by criminals calling from India, stealing your credit card numbers, Social Security number, bank account and personal information. There are hundreds of these India scams where they pretend to be fake debt collectors threatening you for debts that you do not owe, offer to lower the interest rate on credit cards or a fake student loan that you do not have, offer you a fake home equity loan based on a request that you did not inquire about, consolidate all your credit cards and debts at 0% interest, or give you an unsecured $100,000 line of credit. This call may begin with a pre-recorded message generated using text-to-speech translation software to disguise the origin of this India scam. The message says that either you are pre-approved for a personal or business loan with no upfront fees and no credit report needed, you qualify for 0% or 1.9% interest rate on all your credit cards due to your prompt payment history that they have been monitoring (fake!), or that you need to complete your application for a student loan forgiveness repayment plan that you previously contacted them about (fake!). If you answer the call, the India scammer tells you that because of your good credit history, he can offer you lower interest rates on personal and business loans. He asks for your SSN "for verification purposes" and asks for your credit card or bank account number "so they can deposit your (fake) loan". Or the scammer says that to prove your credibility, you must first buy a prepaid gift card and give him the card number and PIN code. These scammers also pretend to be fake debt collectors, threatening you for fake debts and past due amounts that you do not owe. About 55% of North America scam calls come from India and 40% come from the Philippines. India scammers run hundreds of fraud, extortion, and money laundering scams every day such as posing as a fake pharmacy, fake Social Security officer saying your benefits are suspended, IRS officer collecting on fake unpaid back taxes, debt collector threatening you for fake unpaid bills, fake bank/financial/FedEx/UPS/DHL scams, pretending to offer fake health insurance, car warranty, student loan forgiveness, credit card and debt consolidation services, posing as Amazon to falsely say an unauthorized purchase was made to your credit card or your Prime membership was auto-debited from your bank, posing as Microsoft/Dell/HP/Apple to say your account has been hacked or they detected a virus on your computer, fake "we are refunding your money" or "your account has been auto-debited" scams, fake Google/Alexa listing scams, posing as electric utilities, Verizon, AT&T, or Comcast, fake solar panel and home purchase offers, fake fundraisers asking for donations, fake phone surveys, and the scammers try to steal your credit card, bank account/routing number, Social Security number, and personal information. India scammers often rotate through fake Social Security, subscription auto-renewal, pharmacy, and pre-approved loan scams on the same day. Philippines scammers run more auto/home/health/life insurance, Social Security and Medicare identity theft, and fake charity donation scams. Scammers use disposable VoIP phone numbers (e.g. MagicJack devices) or they spoof fake names and numbers on Caller ID. Anyone can use telecom software to phone with a fake CID name and number. Scammers spoof thousands of fake 8xx toll-free numbers. CID is useless with scam calls unless the scam asks you to phone them back. CID area codes are never the origin of scam calls since scams use spoofed CID numbers from across the US and Canada, numbers belonging to unsuspecting people, invalid area codes, and fake foreign country CID numbers; e.g. fake women crying "help me" emergency scams often spoof Mexico and Middle East CID numbers. Scammers often spoof the actual phone numbers of businesses such as Apple, Verizon, and banks to trick you into thinking the call is valid. How can you avoid being scammed by phone calls? NEVER trust any unsolicited caller who: sells something (most unsolicited calls are scams so your odds of saving money are very poor); asks for your Social Security number; offers a free gift or reward; threatens you with arrest/lawsuit or says you need to reply back soon (pressure tactic); asks you to access a website, download a file, wire transfer money or buy prepaid debit/gift cards; claims suspicious activity on your account; says your subscription is being refunded or auto-renewed/auto-debited; and all pre-recorded messages. Recordings are far more likely to be malicious scams and not just telemarketer spam. All unsolicited callers with foreign accents, usually Indian or Filipino, are usually scams. Filipino scammers tend to speak better English than Indian scammers. Filipinos speak English with a subtle accent having a slight trill. Scams often say that you inquired about a job, insurance, social security benefits, or that you previously contacted them or visited their website. A common India scam plays a fake Amazon recording. Amazon account updates are emailed, not robo-dialed. Many banks use automated fraud alert calls to confirm a suspicious purchase, but verify the number that the recording tells you to phone or just call the number printed on your credit card. India scammers impersonate AT&T DirecTV, Comcast, or a cable/Internet company, offering fake discounts or service upgrades. Indians impersonate the IRS and Social Security Administration. The IRS/SSA never make unsolicited calls and never threaten to arrest you; they initiate contact via postal mail. Real lawsuits are not phoned in, especially not using pre-recorded threats lacking details; legal notices are mailed/couriered. The police, FBI, DEA never phone to threaten arrest; they show up in person with a warrant. Scammers try to gain your trust by saying your name when they call, but their autodialer automatically displays your name or says your name in a recording when your number is dialed using phone databases that list millions of names and addresses. Scammers often call using an initial recording speaking English, Spanish, or Chinese that is easily generated using text-to-speech translation software to disguise the origin of their overseas phone room. Some speech synthesis software sound robotic, but others sound natural. To hide their foreign accents, some India scammers use non-Indians in their phone room. Scammers often use interactive voice response (IVR) robotic software that combines voice recognition with artificial intelligence, speaks English with American voices, and responds based on your replies. IVR calls begin with: "Hi, this is fake_name, I am a fake_job_title on a recorded line, can you hear me okay?"; or "Hi, this is fake_name, how are you doing today?"; or "Hello? (pause) Are you there?"; or "Hi, may I speak to your_name?" IVR quickly asks you a short question to elicit a yes/no reply so it hangs up if it encounters voicemail. IVR robots understand basic replies and yes/no answers. To test for IVR, ask "How is the weather over there?" since IVR cannot answer complex questions and it keeps talking if you interrupt it in mid-sentence. IVR usually transfers you to the scammer, but some scams entirely use IVR with the robot asking for your credit card or SSN. A common myth is IVR calls record you saying "yes" so scammers can authorize purchases just using your "yes" voice, but scammers need more than just a recorded "yes" from you - credit cards and SSN. Phone/email scams share two common traits: the CID name/number and the "From:" header on emails are easily faked, and the intent of scam calls is malicious just as file attachments and website links on scam emails are harmful. Scams snowball for many victims. If your personal/financial data are stolen, either by being scammed, visiting a malicious website, or by a previous data breach of a business server that stores your data, then your data gets sold by scammers on the dark web who will see you as fresh meat and prey on you even more. This is why some receive 40+ scam calls everyday while others get only 0 to 2 calls per week. If you provide your personal data to a phone scammer, lured by fake 80%-discounted drugs or scared by fake IRS officers, you receive even more phone scams and identity theft can take years to repair. Most unsolicited calls are scams, often with an Indian accent. No other country is infested with pandemics of phone room sweatshops filled with criminals who belong to the lowest India caste and many are thieves and rapists who were serving jail time but released early due to prison overcrowding. Scammers often shout profanities at you. Just laugh at their abusive language. Google "Hindi swear words" and memorize some favorites, e.g. call him "Randi Ka Beta" (son of whore) or call her "Randi Ka Betty" (daughter of whore). Scammers ignore the National Do-Not-Call Registry; asking scammers to stop calling is useless. You do these scammers a favor by quickly hanging up. But you ruin their scams when you slowly drag them along on the phone call, give them fake personal and credit card data (16 random digits starting with 4 for Visa, 5 for MasterCard), ask them to speak louder and repeat what they said to waste their time and energy.

April 3, 2024