While you were Netflix-and-chilling, some bad guys have been hard at work to make the streaming site considerably less chill. Netflix has been the subject of quite a few phishing attacks recently, leaving subscribers vulnerable to having their private data and even payment information compromised.
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Find a better movie nowThe Federal Trade Commission issues a warning about Netflix phishing scams
The new Netflix phishing attacks have appeared in email inboxes all over the world. They resemble regular spam that would usually end up in your junk folder. Somehow, however, these fake emails are getting through and the FTC has issued a warning.
The attacks came to the attention of the FTC thanks to law enforcement in Ohio. Interestingly, however, the text in the screenshot of the scam that the FTC released was written in British English. This seems to indicate that Netflix users on both sides of the Atlantic have been targeted, which makes sense as phishing scams tend to try and catch as many people as possible. You can see the screenshot the FTC released below.
This particular type of scam isn’t anything new or innovative. It is a simple rehashing of the classic, ‘your payment details are out of date’ type scam. The fake emails tell unwitting victims that their Netflix account is on hold and that their payment details need updating. There is also a button that leads to a fake Netflix login page that will then ask for login details. The emails are designed to look as legitimate as possible but there are clear signs you can look out for. (We’ll go through those shortly.)
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Read Now ►Although the scam isn’t new, it is obviously widespread enough to have set off alarm bells over at the FTC. This new Netflix scam also shows just how important it is to always double check everything that asks for login details or personal information. Even the oldest scams are still able to get the better of us.
Check out our infographic below for ten tips to help you avoid fake emails and phishing scams.
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