SCAM ALERT! – Netflix

The Better Business Bureau reporting increase in phishing scams offering free Netflix for a year. The scam claims the free deal is  “due to the pandemic.” Don’t believe it!

As with other scams this one is aimed at stealing information. The scam webpage is linked to fake login pages that are very convincing, near duplicates of the real thing. So thought out is this scam that the page has a working CAPTCHA user-verification boxes. This little trick gains your trust and convinces you that the site is real. Its ain’t!

Here is how it  works. You get a text on your phone. It looks like this;

“Due to the pandemic, Netflix is offering everyone a free year of service to help you stay at home. Click the link to sign up.”

Sounds good right? You click on the link and it takes you to a fake login page. On that page you are asked for your personal information and credit card details. You know what happens next…or at least you should. You get ripped off!

Your credit card will be charged without your permission, and no, you won’t get access to Netflix. And to make things worse your personal information will end up on the dark web for sale. 

Do I need to tell you that nothing is free. Not even during a pandemic. Whenever you see an ad for free services be extremely skeptical. In this case you need to go to Netflix and see if they are truly offering a freebee.

Free Netflix is a favorite scam tool used by crooks.  Netflix-related scams have been a big money maker for scam artists since the pandemic began.  According to the security firm Webroot phishing attacks using bogus Netflix URLs jumped by an eye popping 646% last summer!  Don’t get played!

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has these tips to avoid the Netflix phishing scam:

• Don’t believe every text you receive. As a general rule, companies can’t send you text messages unless you opt in to receive them. If you receive a text message from a company you haven’t given permission to contact you in this way, proceed with caution.
• Go straight to the source. If an offer seems strange, or too good to be true, contact the company directly by looking up their official contact information online. Call or email customer service to find out if the text message you received is legitimate.
• Take a close look at web addresses. If you follow a link in a text message that you believe is legitimate, examine the web address carefully before you take any action to make sure you are visiting a company’s official website and not a look-alike.
• Ignore instructions to text “STOP” or “NO.” Even if you realize the message is a scam, don’t text back for any reason. Scammers may want you to text back to verify that your phone number is an active one. Instead, simply block the number so you won’t receive messages from it in the future.
• Change your password. Even if you don’t fall for this scam, Netflix advises its customers to change their password if they’ve been targeted. Click here for more tips from Netflix.