Users of popular video streaming app Netflix are apparently getting emails like the one seen below, dressed up like official correspondence from Netflix, meant to steal their personal information. The email tells users that the service has been unable to verify the user’s billing details, and that accurate billing information will need to be collected in order to reinstate the user’s account. If the recipient of the email clicks on the link, they’re brought to a somewhat convincing login screen, then prompted to enter their personal information, including credit card details. Authorities have thus far been unable to pin down the source of the messages, and for the time being, users are advised to simply delete the messages and not click on anything. Netflix has advice for users regarding phishing attempts on its website’s help section, and has yet to issue any official statement regarding this particular attack.
While the phishing attempt is dressed in Netflix finery and features a somewhat faithful login screen, there are a couple of red flags that out the message to astute users as a scam. For starters, there are numerous grammatical errors, enough that anybody fluent in reading and writing the English language should get the sense that something is amiss. There is also the fact that this isn’t how Netflix approaches payment issues. Users will see a message regarding payment problems upon trying to log in, and will have to manually update their payment information. Third, when hovering the mouse cursor over a link, most browsers will display where that link leads in the bottom of the window, and this one does not lead to Netflix’s official website.
If you’ve already been victimized by this phishing scam, there are ways that you can protect yourself from fraudulent charges and identity theft. The first and most important thing to do is to contact your bank as soon as possible and talk about what happened. This should lead to a fraud investigation and an updating of your card and account information. Before giving that new information to Netflix, be sure to change your password. You may also want to consider changing the password for the email account that you used to click the link, just to be on the safe side.
