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Does anyone know if this is a scam?

(20 Posts)
chicken Fri 03-Jul-20 17:11:49

I have BT broadband . Recently I have been getting lots of notifications from Norton, plastered all over the screen, saying that my subscription has expired, or that my computer has five viruses including mal-ware and that I need to take out a new subscription. I thought that protection was built into the BT subscription, and my cynical little mind always suspects scams. Has anyone out there any knowledge or advice? I would normally ask my whiz-kid grandson but he's away until September and I don't want to risk ruining my computer if this is genuine.

lemongrove Fri 03-Jul-20 17:22:57

Do you have a subscription with Norton?
If not, it may not be a scam as such but a way for them to get new customers.
I usually ignore things like that when they pop up.

Namsnanny Fri 03-Jul-20 17:26:32

I dont know chicken but I get these as well. I've risked ignoring them so far.

BBbevan Fri 03-Jul-20 17:30:48

If you have a Norton account you will have a password to access your account. Do this first .What that tells you will help you decide what to do. We have BT broadband but we still use Norton . I should also check with BT

Oopsadaisy3 Fri 03-Jul-20 17:57:32

We have BT but also have a security subscription.

Jane10 Fri 03-Jul-20 19:57:32

We have BT but no advertising pop ups. Could you contact BT to ask about their free security?

chicken Fri 03-Jul-20 20:01:24

One thing that made me anxious was some rather strange language. On the subscription form it said that certain details would be used to "populate"something in future years and this sounded weird and made me suspicious that something wasn't right, maybe a cloned website.

BlueBelle Fri 03-Jul-20 20:20:31

Scam

Evie64 Fri 03-Jul-20 20:35:44

Sounds dodgy to me. I'd contact BT and get advice.

SpringyChicken Fri 03-Jul-20 20:49:17

Sounds like a scam to me.

phoenix Fri 03-Jul-20 20:58:51

Hover over the email address that it's come from, should give you a clue!

NfkDumpling Fri 03-Jul-20 22:09:38

I had Norton and got reminders two months before the renewal date. The first time I panicked and took out what I thought was a renewal but was a second subscription. It took ages on the phone to sort it out. I have an automatically renewing subscription with McAfee now and have no problems. (As yet!)

Chapeau Fri 03-Jul-20 22:13:51

chicken Firstly check with BT but I think you will find that you just have a BT firewall which is not really much of a block to viruses (oh yes - they're everywhere) or malware. It may be that BT threw in Norton for free at some point but it is an anti-virus package that is not free and you do not really need it for domestic use.
Can I suggest that you download Avast Free which is more than adequate for your home needs? I have used this for work and home and have had no problems since I started using the Internet nearly 20 years ago.
Norton also does a free version and you can find more free anti-virus software on this link: www.antivirussoftwareguide.com/best-free-antivirus.

Do check with BT first and see what you've got.
I hope this helps.
If you need any further help just send me a message.

suziewoozie Fri 03-Jul-20 23:51:05

I’m with BT as well and I thought all broadband packages included McAfee anti-virus protection. Just sign in to your BT Broadband account and you’ll be able to check

suziewoozie Fri 03-Jul-20 23:58:36

This explains it - it’s called BT virus protect bu is in partersip with. McAfee. It’s included as part of all BT broadband packages
www.bt.com/help/security/anti-virus-software/what-is-bt-virus-protect-and-how-do-i-get-it-

Starblaze Sat 04-Jul-20 00:09:14

Yes, it's McAfee with BT. Call them, make sure you actually have it downloaded, it doesn't happen automatically

Carenza123 Sat 04-Jul-20 00:24:31

I hate these scams which are part of everyday life now! We recently changed our Sky package. I had an email from Sky (supposedly) which looked official. I filled in their questions but when it came to giving my debit card details I decided to check with our “Help Desk” (our son) who told me not to go any further with it and delete it as it was a scam. Lucky Escape!

Oopsadaisy3 Sat 04-Jul-20 08:40:15

We’ve had 4 automated messages from our bank Fraud team , after being told on the first phone call to press a button to connect them to someone to discuss my Credit Card, I put the phone down and ignored it.
We went to a tile shop yesterday, complete with masks and gloves of course, And tried to buy a couple of sample tiles, and my Credit Card was declined! Apparently it wasn’t a scam, I had tried to use my CC to top up my mobile phone and when it wouldn’t work realised that I had used a different Card.
Apparently a lot of CC fraud is using the cards to top up mobile phones. Whoudve thought!

Oopsadaisy3 Sat 04-Jul-20 08:42:44

Meant to say that that the fact that the Credit Card had not been recognised by the Mobile phone company triggered the block on my Credit card.
Which seems a bit odd, and it took me over half an hour in a queue to talk to the Credit Card team.

chicken Sat 04-Jul-20 09:17:19

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions which I shall be following.