Yes — this is a scam. McAfee never sends renewal notices from "mcafee-secure.info."
Auto-renewal confirmed: $499.99 charged to your account
M
McAfee Billing Department
support@mcafee-secure.info
8:42 AM
Your McAfee Total Protection plan has auto-renewed for $499.99. This charge will post to your card within 24 hours. To cancel or dispute, confirm your details here: mcafee-billing-verify.info/cancel
Cancel my renewal
The Email, as received
Other versions you might get: A fake "your subscription has expired — renew now" notice, a refund offer that asks you to install remote-access software, or a phone number to call "billing support" who then asks for your card.
What to do right now
Don't click the link or button, and don't call any number in it.
Check your real account — open the McAfee app or type mcafee.com yourself. The "charge" won't be there.
Report it. File at reportfraud.ftc.gov, then mark the email as phishing.
Delete it so you don't tap the link later by mistake.
If you already clicked or gave card details — call your bank to freeze the card, change your McAfee and email passwords, and watch your statements for charges you don't recognize.
How to make sure it never bites you
Phishing lands because your email address sits on breached lists that scammers buy and reuse. Reduce the blast radius — see how to lock down your accounts.
Public service
Untrappable · Public service advisory
Stop the next one at the source
You got this because your details are on lists that get bought, sold, and leaked. You can't unspill that, but you can make it useless to a scammer. Start with the free steps — they do most of the work.
If you'd rather have it watched for you, an identity-protection service monitors your accounts, SSN, and the dark web, warns you the moment something new appears, and helps you recover if someone gets through.
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Frequently asked
How can I tell a real McAfee renewal from a fake one?+
Don't judge it by the email — check your actual account. The FTC's advice for these fake-renewal notices is exact: look at your credit card or bank statement for a real McAfee charge. If there's no such transaction, the message is a scam — ignore and delete it. If you want to check your subscription, open the McAfee app or type mcafee.com yourself; never call the number or tap the link in the email.
The email says I was charged $499 and to call to dispute it — is that real?+
That's a textbook fake-renewal scam, and the FTC names it directly — scammers use well-known brands like McAfee, Norton, and Geek Squad to sell it. The “call within 24 hours to dispute” line is the hook: if you call, they ask for remote access to your computer, walk you to a spoofed refund page for your card details, then claim they “refunded too much” and pressure you to pay the difference back in gift cards or crypto. Real billing never works this way. Don't call the number in the message.
I already called the number or gave them access — what now?+
Move fast. Call your bank or card issuer to freeze or replace the card and reverse any charge. If you gave anyone remote access, disconnect from the internet and run a security scan, then change your McAfee and email passwords from a device you trust. Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner you act, the better your odds of getting money back.
I paid them with gift cards — can I get that money back?+
Sometimes, and your odds go up the faster you report it. Gift cards are what these callers push — the FTC says they insist on gift cards, a wire transfer, a bank transfer, crypto, or a payment app “because it's like using cash — once you pay, it's hard to get your money back.” Report it to the company that issued the card right away. The FTC is clear that it's worth doing “no matter how long ago the scam happened,” and to ask for your money back: some issuers will refund it, or freeze a card that still has a balance on it. Keep the cards and the store receipts — you'll need the numbers off the back. Then file at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Scams spread because people stay quiet about them. If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. Passing it on is the easiest good thing you'll do today. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.