Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

Payment Declined Email Scam - How to Protect Yourself
Payment Declined Email Scam - How to Protect Yourself

There's a dangerous "Cloud Payment Declined" email scam making the rounds right now, and unfortunately, a lot of people may fall for it. Although the text and appearance of the various emails people are receiving vary just a bit, they all claim that either your "cloud payment" is overdue or your last payment was declined. Either way, the scammer warns that if you don’t take immediate action, your cloud storage account will be deleted and you’ll lose all your files.

The Cloud Payment Declined Scam

Cloud Payment Declined scam email

Of course, no one wants to lose all their precious photos and irreplaceable files, so it’s only natural to want to do whatever is required in order to prevent that from happening. The scammers are counting on this feeling of dread and anxiousness, leading the recipients to make a hasty decision and respond to the email.

Looks pretty urgent (and scary), right? Well, there are several red flags that immediately indicate that this is indeed a scam:

  1. The email is addressed to “Dear user”. This is a common indicator of a scam email. If the email had been legitimate, it would have addressed me by my actual name.
  2. There is no company name listed anywhere in the message. If this had been a real overdue notice, the name of the company (Carbonite, Dropbox, iDrive, etc.) would have been prominently displayed at or near the top of the message.
  3. Although I didn’t include it in the screenshot, the sender’s email address didn’t match any of the known cloud storage companies.
  4. Even though this is the first email of this nature I received, it says if I don’t take action by the very next day, all of my files and data will be deleted. No reputable cloud storage company will give you just one day to make a payment before deleting your files. You will typically receive at least one reminder several days in advance, and usually more.

Therefore, if you receive ANY email claiming that your cloud service and your files will be deleted if you don’t make a payment immediately, it’s a virtual certainty that it’s a scam.

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by info

Another scam:

"Subject: Payment Declined: We could not process your renewal

Your Antivirus subscription has expired

Security Protection
SECURITY VERIFICATION CENTER
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
Immediate confirmation required
!
Action needed: status requires confirmation
Outdated security definitions increase the risk of malicious links and account takeovers. Confirm now to maintain active protection and reduce exposure..."

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by info

There’s a new Phishing scam going around and may appear in your email inbox. It will tell you that your payment information has been declined if you want to continue to keep your Cloud info from expiring. They give you a number and an email to contact. DO NOT call the number or use the email and do not hit the unsubscribe button. They have hundreds of different emails associated with their name so no matter how much you block them, it’s really hard to get rid of them. My Apple program usually blocks all of these guys, but once in a while they get through. Until I find a good, affordable, or free remedy, just keep deleting them when they appear in your inbox.

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by info

QuickBooks will NEVER call about a declined payment for your subscription. One of our churches asked me about this, and I learned that this is a scam that is going around.
Scammers call a church, ask for the bookkeeper, and then attempt to convince them that their QuickBooks subscription payment was declined. The only way to keep access to the software is to make a payment over the phone.
You can imagine what they do once they have your credit card info!
QuickBooks only sends billing error message from within the software. They may also send an email, but you should verify the email by logging into QuickBooks and checking the messages.
Don't click on any links in the email!
Not sure what to do? Give us a call!

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by info

If you have a Zoom account and receive an email saying your payment was declined....DO NOT click on anything. Verify with your bank/credit card company as well as Zoom. Scammers will scam

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by info

I am getting beyond irritated!! Anyone else getting payment/declined, data deletion in progress from iCloud? At first it was annoying, now it’s out of control! Can’t block. Afraid to unsubscribe. Comes from different email each time. Now. Receiving every 10-20 minutes! All day. Btw. Of course it’s a scam!!

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by info

FYI I received an email that said It was from Netflix, and that I owe $17.99 and that my payment was declined. Definitely a scam. There are so many fake emails out there asking you for money or asking you to click on something to give them your credit card information! Do not EVER click on any links in them, and do not call any numbers in them. I've had clients that have had fake emails from Microsoft, Geek Squad, McAfee, Norton, and more. Sometimes they even say they are from your bank. Those scammers are smooth talkers, so don't call 'em because they'll convince you you're wrong! You can ask google how to report a scam or spam mail. For this fake Netflix one I forwarded the email with the full text to phishing-netflix.com.
You can always call your bank to ask them questions. Just don't call the numbers in those emails or don't call back anybody that would text you or call and leave a message. They want all your information and your money. Don't let him have any of it!

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by info

FYI peeps. I just received this email this morning telling me my payment was declined and in order to update my payment I needed to click the “Update Payment” link.
Before I click the link, I went onto my Xfinity account and confirmed my payment was accepted. I guess it’s another hack or scam. Beware peeps.

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by info

Beware of a new scam!
Emails saying "payment declined for cloud services."
I keep blocking them and reporting spam, but I’m getting five or six of these a day, and they’re all fake. Just hoping you’ll click them and give them your payment information.
Be careful, everybody.

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by info

Listen, if you receive an email or text message that reads "payment declined", and you know that you haven't purchased anything, please do not click on the link. This apparently is a new scam phishing for information. I get this at least 5-10 times a day, so please be aware! Another says something about my tax issues. Again, never click on the link or attempt to answer questions or explain that it's a mistake. That's what they want.

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by info

Some users have received an email regarding a declined payment, asking them to verify their account information or update their email due to a glitch. This is a scam email. Please do not forward it, reply, or click on any links in the email. Just mark it as junk or delete it. As always - reach out to your Tech Support Team if you have questions!

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