Know Your Spam: Refund Scam

KNOW YOUR SPAM: REFUND SCAM - EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

Here are some signs to identify a refund scam:
!!! the nature of the email is to shock you into action
 1) the email is from a free/unrelated email provider
 2) you are not the direct recipient and/or your email is in the bcc field
 3) the subject does not have the order number, or the status of your order
 4) the body does not have your name
 5) numbers are substituted for letters in ways that don't match the brand or typical item name, this is to avoid spam filters
 6) the wording and formatting is a little off, or words are used in unusual ways
 7) order or invoice ID that is mostly letters; invoices are sequential so would be numbered (letters A-F are numbers in hexadecimal)
 8) your payment method is not directly specified (paypal, card, site balance)
 9) end/rebill date is not specific
10) the message focuses on you reaching out instead of being a bill of sale or invoice
11) the phone number is not formatted in the usual way for your region, or contains excessive spaces for readability
12) generic "department" without any information on who is contacting you, or any company name at all
13) the tone of the message is not similar to other order notifications, or provides little information overall

How to proceed:
1) DO NOT click on any links or call any numbers in the message
2) Contact your bank or payment processor (like PayPal) using its official site or phone number and decline any unknown charges
3) Report as SPAM/phishing in your mail reader or browser, especially if the message was not directly sent to your address

This is an EXAMPLE of a refund scam:

Dear User,

Your 2 Years of N0RT0N Antivirus Subscription has been successfully
renewed and updated.

 The on account payment will be shown soon within next 2 to 4 hours on
your Account Declaration
PRODUCT INFORMATION

Invoice ID                              :   KSGS55SJSS
Item Name                             :  N0RT0N Total 360

Command Date                     :   3rd February 2022
InActivation Date                      :  Two Years from the Date of Purchase

Sum                                         :  236.12 USD
Payment Mode                        :   Auto-Debit

If you want to claim a REFUND then please feel free to contact our
Billing Department as soon as Possible.

You can reach us on +0 ( 0 0 0 ) - ( 0 0 0 ) - ( 0 0 0 0 )     [this number is obfuscated but the pattern is preserved]

Regards,
Billing Department

THIS IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY