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    4 min read 6 stepsMay 13, 2026Verified May 2026

    The Fake Costco Renewal Email Going Around — How to Spot It

    A new scam email claims your Costco membership is about to expire. Here is how to tell it from the real renewal notice and what to do.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Safety & Privacy
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    4 min read
    Steps
    6
    Topics covered
    costco
    phishing
    scam email
    membership
    fraud
    identity theft

    In this guide (6 steps):

    1. 1.Check the sender address — not the display name
    2. 2.Look for the membership number in the email
    3. 3.Do not click the button — go directly to Costco.com
    4. 4.Check the urgency language
    5. 5.Report the email to Costco and the FTC
    6. 6.What to do if you already clicked
    1

    Check the sender address — not the display name

    ~37s
    The "From" field shows a display name like "Costco Wholesale" or "Costco Membership Services." That part is easy to fake. What you need is the actual email address. On a computer, hover your mouse over the sender name (do not click). On a phone, tap the sender name once to expand it. The real Costco sends from addresses ending in @costco.com or @e.costco.com. If you see anything like @costco-renewal.com, @costcobilling.net, @member-costco.co, or a long string of random characters, it is a scam.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: Scammers often misspell the domain with extra letters or a different ending — costco-c.com or costc0.com (using the number zero). Read the address slowly, letter by letter.

    2

    Look for the membership number in the email

    ~19s
    A real Costco renewal email includes the last four digits of your membership card number and your member level (Gold Star, Executive, Business). A scam email almost never has these. They do not have access to that data. If the email greets you as "Dear Valued Member" with no specifics, treat it as fake.
    3

    Do not click the button — go directly to Costco.com

    ~45s
    Even if the email looks real, do not click any link or button in it. Open a new browser tab and type costco.com in the address bar yourself, or use the Costco app you already have. Sign in with your normal username and password. If your membership truly needs renewing, you will see a banner at the top of your account dashboard. If you do not see a banner, your membership is fine and the email was a scam.

    Warning

    Some scam buttons take you to a page that looks identical to Costco.com but lives at a slightly wrong URL. The lock icon in the address bar does NOT mean a site is safe — scammers buy security certificates too. The only thing that confirms a site is real is the URL itself: costco.com, with nothing extra before the .com.

    4

    Check the urgency language

    ~18s
    Real Costco does not threaten you. Scam emails use phrases like: "expires in 24 hours," "your account will be suspended," "final notice," "immediate action required." Real Costco sends renewal reminders 60 days and 30 days before expiration with friendly language. They never say "expires tomorrow" because they always notify you with weeks to spare.
    5

    Report the email to Costco and the FTC

    ~21s
    Forward the email to phishing@costco.com (that is the real Costco anti-fraud address). Then file a quick complaint at reportfraud.ftc.gov. It takes 3 minutes, no account needed. The more people who report, the faster the scam domains get taken down. After reporting, delete the email. Do not leave it in your inbox. It is common to forget and accidentally click later.
    6

    What to do if you already clicked

    ~39s
    If you entered any information on the fake page: (1) Call your credit card company right now (number on the back of the card) and ask them to freeze the card and issue a new one. (2) Log into Costco.com and change your password — use Settings > Security. (3) Place a free 7-year fraud alert on your credit at experian.com/fraud (one place files at all three bureaus). (4) Watch your bank statement daily for the next 60 days. Most fraudulent charges show up within 2 weeks.

    Warning

    Do not call any phone number listed in the suspicious email — that is a scammer too. Only use the number on the back of your real Costco card or your credit card.

    You Did It!

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    Through April and May 2026, a wave of scam emails has been making the rounds with the subject line "Your Costco Membership Expires Tomorrow" or "Action Required: Costco Membership Renewal." The email looks convincing. It uses the Costco logo, the warehouse-blue colors, and a clear "Renew Now" button. The button takes you to a fake page that asks for your name, address, credit card, and Costco card number.

    If you fill it in, the scammers right away try to charge your card and also sell the data on the dark web. AARP and the FTC have both flagged this as one of the top three retail phishing scams of 2026.

    This guide shows the four signals to check on any email like this, what a real Costco renewal email looks like, and what to do if you already clicked.

    (Sources: FTC Consumer Alerts — reportfraud.ftc.gov; AARP Fraud Watch Network — aarp.org/money/scams-fraud; Costco Member Services — costco.com/customer-service)

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    costco
    phishing
    scam email
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    fraud
    identity theft

    Official Resources

    FTC Consumer ProtectionCISA — Cybersecurity TipsAARP Fraud Watch Network

    Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →

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