How do I spot a fake subscription cancellation or renewal email?
Fake subscription emails claim a large auto-renewal is about to charge and ask you to call or click to cancel — they are phishing for your card details or bank login.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Subscription renewal phishing exploits the fact that most people have multiple subscriptions they cannot easily track. The fraudulent email claims that your account — for a VPN, antivirus package, or technical support membership — is about to auto-renew for a large amount (often several hundred pounds or dollars). The amount is large enough to cause alarm but not so extreme as to be obviously fake.
You are given a phone number to call to cancel. When you call, a 'customer service agent' asks you to log in to your bank account to process the cancellation, or guides you to a website where you enter your card number to receive a 'refund'. Both paths give the fraudster your financial credentials.
An alternative version includes a link that goes to a fake cancellation portal requiring your card details to 'verify your identity'. Some variants ask you to install remote-access software so the agent can 'process the cancellation directly from their system'.
Check your actual subscriptions in your account settings for the service named. If you do not have a subscription to the named service, the email is certainly fraudulent. If you do have a subscription, cancel it through the service's own website — never by calling a number from an email.
Common red flags
- Large auto-renewal amount you do not recognise
- Asks you to call a phone number to cancel
- Cancellation link goes to a domain unrelated to the named service
- Asks for your card number or bank login to process a 'refund'
- Sender email domain does not match the named service's official domain
- Service you 'subscribed to' is one you have no account with
What to do now
- Check your real subscriptions in your account settings for the named service
- Do not call any number listed in the email
- Cancel subscriptions directly through the official website you access by typing the address
- Report the phishing email to the brand being impersonated and to your email provider
- If you gave card details, contact your bank to cancel the card and dispute any charges
Frequently asked questions
How do I check what I am actually subscribed to?
On iOS: Settings > your name > Subscriptions. On Android: Google Play > Profile > Payments and subscriptions. On a computer: check your email for historical subscription confirmations.
What if I never subscribed but received this email?
It is almost certainly phishing. Mark it as spam. A company cannot bill you for a subscription you never established.
Is it ever safe to call a number in an email?
Very rarely. If you must call, search for the company's phone number independently on their official website rather than using any number from the email.
Sources
- FTC — How To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam — Federal Trade Commission
- IRS — Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts — Internal Revenue Service
- SSA OIG — Scam Alert — Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General
- FCC — Frauds, Scams and Alerts — Federal Communications Commission