# If you had Kaspersky Antivirus, a new company wants auto renewal $$ **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 10, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547 "2026-02-10T15:23:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/1 "2026-02-10T15:23:06Z")
Remember Kaspersky Antivirus? The US government shut them down, because they were evil Russians. šŸ˜±šŸ‘»šŸ‘½ What absolute bullshit. I had Kaspersky Antivirus for 7 years and loved the product. I never worried about Putin spying on my phone. The boredom alone would kill him. It would be different if I worked at the Pentagon or a defense contractor. I moved on to BitDefender for my Android phones. I had the impression they were a reorganized company that replaced Kaspersky. I happily signed up for BitDefender and have it on my familyā€™s phones and a old Windows 10 laptop. (It wonā€™t be renewed for the laptop ) A year laterā€¦ Out of nowhere, I received a auto renewal warning for $87.99 effective Feb 21. UltraAV. Never heard of them. Certainly never installed their antivirus software. It took three emails to get a cancellation. That wasnā€™t anything official. Just email from support saying it was done. I called my bank. They wonā€™t preemptively block a charge. Should I login to their site and confirm any subscription was cancel? They claim thereā€™s an account there registered to my emai. I would have to use password recovery. Set a password to something temporary. Iā€™m aware of phising. I havenā€™t supplied any information. NOTHING. They already had my email address. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/2 "2026-02-10T15:28:49Z")
How did you confirm a connection between Kaspersky and this Ultra outfit? Random invoice scams are a thing, after all. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/3 "2026-02-10T15:34:33Z")
I havenā€™t. I had to respond or risk a $90 credit card charge I didnā€™t give any information. No address, certainly no CC information or banking. Nothing. They could have my cc if they inherited Kaspersky business files. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/4 "2026-02-10T15:36:56Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > How did you confirm a connection between Kaspersky and this Ultra outfit? Googling, UltraAV _is_ the product being pushed to former Kaspersky customers. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/5 "2026-02-10T15:37:30Z")
Common scam. My spam filter catches these all the time. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/6 "2026-02-10T15:40:49Z")
I donā€™t want to legitimize any connection by logging into their web site. Iā€™ve never, ever used their software. Iā€™ll watch my bank charges closely and immediately call my bankā€™s fraud department if a 87.99 charge is made. It posses me off the bank wonā€™t preemptively block this company. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/7 "2026-02-10T15:44:57Z")
One _can_ visit a website without logging in. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/8 "2026-02-10T15:47:43Z")
Thereā€™s about a 99% chance this is just an invoice scam, nothing to do with any Kaspersky AV you ever had installed. Maybe Kaspersky got hacked and someone got their email list? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/9 "2026-02-10T15:48:41Z")
Ultra Av has a web site. It raises a very interesting question. **Can a new company inherit a defunct companies Internet Subscriptions?** Ultra AV did proved 2 weeks warning before charging for a renewal. **What legal rights do they have in claiming Kerpersky former cutomers?** ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/10 "2026-02-10T15:51:41Z")
Iā€™ll let my Bankā€™s fraud department handle any charges from Ultra AV. I have to check my account charges closely, every morning for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/11 "2026-02-10T15:56:57Z")
Did you give your credit card info to Kapersky all those years ago? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/12 "2026-02-10T16:07:29Z")
Yes. I renewed my subscription every year between 2014 or 15? and 2023. I installed Kaspersky on my momā€™s phone. She had a separate subscription. I liked Kaspersky Antivirus. They were receiving top, number 1 ratings from PCMag, CNET, Toms Hardware and other sites back around 2015, 16. etc. I use Bitdefender now on Android devices. Won the Editorā€™s Choice Award in 2025 > **[Bitdefender Antivirus Review 2025: CNET's Editors' Choice for Best Antivirus](https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/bitdefender-antivirus-review/)** > > Find out why this antivirus eclipsed the competition in our hands-on testing. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/13 "2026-02-10T16:16:36Z")
At least UltraAv is a real antivirus company. Hopefully my email to cancel any subscription worked. The reviews arenā€™t good. It isnā€™t a anti virus suite that Iā€™d consider purchasing. > **[UltraAV Review: An Expensive Security Suite With Uneven Components](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/ultraav?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=B)** > > The pricey UltraAV suite aims to replace Kaspersky for US users, and while it offers a broad range of features, it falls short of the top competitors. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/14 "2026-02-10T16:23:25Z")
Proof for the Bank that I did email Ultra Av. I also have the emails in my Sent box. Iā€™ll wait until this business issue goes away and then unsubscribe from their list. > **[ImageBam](https://www.imagebam.com/view/ME1AJU5T)** > > Image Hosting, Image Upload, Picture Hosting ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/15 "2026-02-10T16:32:47Z")
Scammer buys email list(s), sends the same email/popup/warning to all on the list, and net a ton of ā€œfishā€. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/16 "2026-02-10T16:37:10Z")
They didnā€™t net anything from _this fish_. I want to be clear UltraAv didnā€™t ask for any information. Mailing Address, my banks name, certainly no CC numbers. I wouldnā€™t provide it if they asked. Maybe, some fish will agree to sign-up for their Anti-virus service. I guess if even 10% sign up thatā€™s a plus for this company. Not me. I had already picked a new Anti virus solution immediately after the US government shut down Kaspersky. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/17 "2026-02-10T16:39:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > At least UltraAv is a real antivirus company. The number of emails in my spam folder from real companies is probably 30-40%, including cable companies that I have never had, mainly because I have never once lived iin their service areas, including banks that Iā€™ve never had an account at or done business with, etc., etc., etc. Either itā€™s an invoice scam, in which case donā€™t do anything with it, even reply (as that confirms they have a used email address) or itā€™s legit, in which case, youā€™ve told them to not renew & you can go to your bank & get the charged reversed if it is for real. When you hover over the from email address does it look legit or more like a random set of letters & #s? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/18 "2026-02-10T16:44:04Z")
The address I was able to copy the address and paste into notepad. Looked at it Then copy/pasted here. I used the tic mark and xxx to break the link. 'Xxxx[noreply@]ā€˜xxxxā€™('xxxxmailto:noreply@ultraantivirus.com)xxxcx ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/19 "2026-02-10T16:49:23Z")
I realize it feels like a bit of a risk to connect to their support site, but if they ā€œlegitimatelyā€ inherited your contact and payment info from Kaspersky, you may want to look for a way to remove all of that. But perhaps just canceling the pending auto payment by email might be enough. It depends on whether they regard the cancellation request as the final word, or ā€œjust for now.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547/20 "2026-02-10T16:54:15Z")
I guess it canā€™t hurt to do a password reset and double check the account. Of course, Iā€™ll set it to something Iā€™d never normally use. Maybe Trumps birthday. šŸ˜ˆ will be part of a temporary password. Iā€™ll wait a few days. Then check. Renewal was Feb 23. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-kaspersky-antivirus-a-new-company-wants-auto-renewal/1027547.md?page=2)