Netflix customers are being targeted by a new email scam designed to access their banking information.
The emails, which look identical to official messages from Netflix, tell recipients
that their accounts are disabled, according to an article in Good Housekeeping. However,
the accounts can be reactivated if the customers update their financial information. The link takes victims to a fake web page, where they are asked to input their banking details.
Good
Housekeeping warns readers that “by clicking on the link and entering your payment information, you may be giving hackers direct access to your banking details.”
The scam appears to target consumers in the UK. But the magazine is also warning U.S. readers to beware, and police departments and other sources are advising consumers not to
click on the link.
“Tweeps, beware this Netflix email scam,” writes blogger Henry Hyde. “DO NOT click any links in the email.”
The magazine does not
speculate about how the scam artists got the email addresses of Netflix customers. But Netflix has acknowledged the problem.
"We take the security of our members' accounts seriously and
Netflix employs numerous proactive measures to detect fraudulent activity to keep the Netflix service and our members' accounts secure,” Netflix spokesperson said to Good
Housekeeping.
The spokesperson continued: “Unfortunately, scams are common on the internet and target popular brands such as Netflix and other companies with large customer
bases to lure users into giving out personal information.”
Good Housekeeping advises consumers to follow these rules:
- Always check who the
sender is.
- Never download any attachments or click directly on any links.
- Keep an eye out for bad grammar or any typos.
Finally, the magazine
advises readers who do fall prey to the scheme to monitor their bank transactions and change their passwords to Netflix and “any other accounts that use the same password and username
combo.”