Convincing New Netflix Scam Is Aiming to Collect Customers’ Billing Information
It’s never not a good time to turn on Netflix, right? Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Netflix users have been even more grateful for entertainment that doesn’t require leaving their house.
However, if you do have a Netflix account, beware of a recent new scam in town! The email scam is specifically Targeting Netflix customers, and unless you’re aware of it, there’s a good chance you may fall for it due to its relatively convincing nature.
The people behind the scam are sending emails to various Netflix users that contain a link to an outside website. The email informs you to click on the link in order to fix an error with your payment information. If you do, you’ll be prompted to enter your payment information as well as a credit card number.
While a good rule of thumb to perceiving what’s a scam and what’s official business is to never offer your credit card information, the email does a good job of making it look like it’s really from officials at Netflix. It has already had many people click and offer their info.
Cloud security service Armorblox has some more insight into why this is one of the most convincing phishing emails yet:
“This email got past existing email security controls… because it didn’t follow the tenets of more traditional phishing attacks,” the service stated in a recent blog post. “Upon clicking the email link, targets are first led to a fully functioning CAPTCHA page with subtle Netflix branding (black background, red buttons). Upon entering the correct alphanumeric sequence, targets are led to the main phishing site. A functioning CAPTCHA page makes the entire communication seem more legitimate.”
The company also offers screenshots of what the email may look like, as well as more information on how it works. Definitely be sure to check that out here, especially if you’ve received a fishy email from Netflix lately.
If you DO receive an email as the one described and you think it’s part of the scam, Netflix would like you to forward the email to an account they set up for this exact reason: [email protected].
The company has also informed customers that their emails will always come from a Netflix email address and will likely never take them to an outside website that isn’t on Netflix itself.
Do you have a Netflix account and have received an email like this? Have you or someone you know ever fallen for a scam of this nature before?