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Scams remain one of the most common issues raised in the Trend Micro Community, especially those involving fake renewal emails, tech‑support impersonation, phishing links, and scam calls or texts.
This post explains how these scams work, how to recognize them, and what to do if you encounter one.

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⚠️ Common Scams Reported by Customers

Based on Community reports and Help Center advisories, the most frequent scams include:

1. Fake Trend Micro Renewal Emails
   - Scammers send emails pretending to be Trend Micro invoices or renewal notices, often urging you to:
• Call a phone number to “cancel”
• Pay immediately to avoid charges
• Provide payment or personal information

✅ Important:
Trend Micro does not send renewal emails that ask you to call a number or provide payment details by email.

Learn more:

• Advisory: Fake Trend Micro Support Renewal Emails | Trend Micro Help Center


2. Tech Support Scam Calls
   - Scammers may call unexpectedly, claiming to be:
• Trend Micro Support
• A “certified technician”
• A partner fixing malware or subscription issues

They often:

• Spoof caller IDs
• Ask for remote access
• Demand payment for fake services

✅ Trend Micro will never make unsolicited support calls. Phone calls are always pre‑scheduled when legitimate.

Learn More:

• Advisory: Tech Support Scams Posing as Trend Micro Support | Trend Micro Help Center
• What is a Suspected Third-Party Technical Support Scam? | Trend Micro Help Center


3. Phishing Emails & Malicious Links
   - Phishing messages attempt to trick you into clicking links or opening attachments that:
• Steal login credentials
• Install malware
• Lead to fake websites

Common signs include:

• Urgent or threatening language
• Misspelled sender domains
• Generic greetings (e.g., “Dear Customer”)

Learn More:

• Scam Emails: How to Spot and Avoid it | Trend Micro Help Center
• What is Phishing and How to Spot and Avoid It | Trend Micro Help Center


4. Scam Text Messages (Smishing)
   - Scam texts often claim:
• Delivery problems
• Account suspension
• Prize or refund notifications
• They usually contain suspicious links

Learn More:

• SMS Scams: How to Spot and Avoid it | Trend Micro Help Center
• How to Spot Scams: Signs of Fraudulent Text Messages | Trend Micro Help Center

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✅ Best Practices to Protect Yourself from Scams

Follow these Trend Micro‑recommended safety steps:

• ❌ Do not click suspicious links or attachments
• ❌ Do not call phone numbers in unsolicited emails
• ❌ Never share passwords, PINs, or payment details
• ✅ Verify renewals only via your Trend Micro Account
• ✅ Use official Trend Micro websites (trendmicro.com, helpcenter.trendmicro.com)
• ✅ Keep Trend Micro Security updated

Related Articles

• What is a Scam: How to Spot and Avoid it | Trend Micro Help Center
• Fraud and Scams | Trend Micro Help Center

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🛡️ How Trend Micro Helps Protect You

Trend Micro products include built‑in protection against scams:

• Anti‑phishing & Web Protection (blocks fake websites)
• Email Defender (flags suspicious emails)
• ScamCheck (analyzes links, numbers, emails, screenshots)

Learn More About ScamCheck

• Never Miss a Scam: Spot It with Trend Micro ScamCheck | Trend Micro Help Center

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🚑 What to Do If You Think You’ve Been Scammed

1. Stop engaging with the scammer immediately
2. Disconnect remote access if granted
3. Change passwords for affected accounts
4. Scan your device with Trend Micro
5. Report the scam to Trend Micro Support

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✅ Final Reminders

• Trend Micro will never pressure you into urgent payments, request passwords, or make unsolicited support calls.
• When in doubt, pause, verify, and ask—the Community and Support teams are here to help.

Some customers report that their printer stops working after installing or enabling Trend Micro Security or Trend Micro VPN.
This post explains why this happens, when it is expected behavior, and how to restore printing safely.

Why Printing Can Stop When Trend Micro Is Enabled

Most printer issues fall into two categories:

1. Local network security controls (Firewall / Network Protection)
2. VPN‑related network isolation

These are not random bugs—they are usually the result of how operating systems and networks handle security and traffic isolation.

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Scenario 1: Printer Blocked by Trend Micro Security (Firewall / Network Protection)

✅ This is expected security behavior, not a product defect
Trend Micro Security monitors local network traffic to prevent:

• Unauthorized device access
• Lateral movement by malware
• Exploits using open network ports

Many printers:

• Use open or legacy ports
• Broadcast via network discovery
• Do not authenticate traffic

Because of this, the firewall may:

• Block printer discovery
• Block print jobs
• Mark the printer as an unknown device

Common Symptoms:

• Printer appears offline
• Printer not detected on the network
• Print jobs get stuck or fail
• Printing works when Trend Micro is disabled

How Users Can Fix It Safely

1. Add the printer to the trusted network
• Ensure the network is set to Private / Home
• Avoid using Public network mode
2. Allow printer communication
• Add printer IP or application to the Exception / Allowed list
• Allow inbound/outbound local network traffic for the printer
3. Temporarily test (for diagnosis only)
• Disable Firewall briefly
• If printing works, re‑enable Firewall and configure exceptions (Do not leave protection disabled)

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Scenario 2: Printer Not Working When VPN Is Enabled

⚠️ This is a known VPN limitation, not a Trend Micro bug
When a VPN is active:

• Your device traffic is routed through an encrypted tunnel
• Local network devices (like printers) may become unreachable

This behavior is controlled by the operating system’s VPN framework, not by Trend Micro alone.

Common Symptoms:

• Printer works when VPN is OFF
• Printer disappears when VPN is ON
• Network printer cannot be found
• Wireless printing fails during VPN connection

How Users Can Fix It Safely

• Turn off VPN when printing to a local printer
• Use USB printing instead of network printing
• Enable split tunneling (if available) so local network traffic bypasses VPN
• Use cloud‑based printing features (if supported by the printer)

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What Trend Micro Is Doing

• Improving device detection and trust flows
• Reducing false positives for common printer software
• Enhancing VPN handling during network changes
• Updating guidance so customers can configure printers safely

Trend Micro offers several apps with VPN or VPN‑based protection. However, using multiple Trend Micro apps with VPN features on the same device may cause connection or stability issues. This is because most operating systems allow only one active VPN connection at a time.

Why Issues May Occur

When more than one app tries to control a VPN, the system may disconnect the VPN, toggle it on and off, show “connected” with no internet access, or block another VPN from connecting. This behavior is controlled by the operating system and is not unique to Trend Micro.

Trend Micro Apps That Use VPN Technology

Full VPN apps:

• Trend Micro VPN
• Trend Micro Mobile Security (Web Guard feature)

VPN‑based protection apps:

• Mobile Security (iOS Web Guard / Safe Browsing)
• ScamCheck
• ID Protection (network‑level protection)

Best Practices

• Use only one VPN feature at a time
• Choose which app controls your VPN based on your priority (privacy, safe browsing, or identity protection)
• Check VPN permissions and remove duplicate VPN profiles (especially on mobile)
• Restart the device after changing VPN settings
• Keep all Trend Micro apps and your OS up to date

Key Takeaway

VPN issues usually happen when multiple apps compete for VPN control. Using a single VPN feature ensures better stability and performance.