Netflix Scam: Customers Warned of Fake Emails
Netflix has issued a warning to customers following a widespread email scam attempting to collect people's personal and financial information.
Netflix scam
A new Netflix scam has been exposed this week, in which fake emails have been sent to customers claiming that their Netflix payment was unsuccessful. The email requests that the receiver share their payment method in order to maintain their subscription.
Email scams are nothing new but there has been a rise in scamming and phishing attempts during the COVID19 pandemic. Thus far over 2,000 individuals have reported receiving some form of the Netflix scam phishing emails.
What does the email say?
The subject line on the phishing emails sometimes reads ‘The payment for your latest Netflix invoice failed’ and is usually also addressed to ‘dear subscriber’ (rather than addressing the receiver directly by name).
The Netflix scam email then goes on to say the following:
Your account is on hold because of a problem with your last payment...Netflix was unable to collect a payment because of one of the following….The method of payment on file is no longer valid or has expired [or] The credit card zip code on your Netflix account does not match the one listed with your bank.’
The email also tells the receiver that to resolve the issue, and continue using Netflix, they need to update their payment details. This section is often accompanied by a link where the receiver of the email is encouraged to enter their payment information.
The email is then usually signed from Netflix Customer Service.
The response from Netflix
The hugely successful video streaming service, which boasts a customer base of over 12 million subscribers in the UK, have responded to the Netflix scam, urging caution among customers.
In their response, Netflix have outlined some advice on how customers can identify fake emails that are claiming to be from Netflix.
It's also important to note that things like spelling or grammar mistakes, links at the bottom of the email not functioning and the email address the email was sent from looking strange to you are all other warning signs of an email scam.
Netflix shared that they never ask for the following details via email or via text message:
- Credit or debit card numbers
- Bank account details
- Netflix passwords
Netflix have also specified that they will never request any payments through a third party website or vendor.
What to do if you receive suspicious emails
There are several different ways to spot a suspicious email, and sometimes your email service will actually flag questionable emails for you.
It’s worth noting that any subscription based service of which you are already a member will usually address you by name in emails, rather than simply saying ‘dear subscriber’.
If you receive an email about your Netflix account that looks suspicious, don’t open it, instead you should forward it to [email protected]. Once you’ve done this, the streaming service recommends that you then delete the email.
The advice given by Netflix regarding suspicious text messages is similar, however the steps required differ depending on whether you are using an iOS or Android phone.
For Android users, dealing with suspicious text messages required the following steps:
Tap and hold the message that you want to forward.
- Tap more and then forward.
- Enter [email protected].
- Tap send.
- Delete the message.
For iPhone or iPad users, Netflix recommends adopting the following procedure:
- Tap and hold the message that you want to forward.
- Tap more... and then the forward arrow.
- Enter [email protected].
- Tap send.
- Delete the message.
What to do if you’ve fallen victim to a phishing scamIf you've fallen victim to the Netflix scam, or a similar one, the first thing to do is to contact your bank to cancel your card. It’s also recommended that you then change your password on any important accounts that you access using your internet device.