The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just released a statement outlining a new phishing scam involving Netflix.
The FTC is advising Netflix users to ignore and also report any suspicious emails from the video streaming company requesting to update payment and billing-related information.
What is Phishing?
Phishing is a scam that tries to trick people with fake emails or text messages into providing sensitive information such as login IDs, passwords, social security and credit card numbers.
Apart from trying to get users’ credentials and other sensitive data, phishing scams also aim to convince unsuspecting users into downloading malware and even giving away their hard earned cash.
If you get tricked and click on a phishing link, hackers may install ransomware or other dangerous programs on your computer.
These programs will allow them to steal your information or lock you out of your most important data.
According to the FTC, scammers can use the phished “information to steal your money, your identity, or both.”
The latest email scam involving Netflix claims your account is currently on hold because the company is having trouble with your billing information.
The email asks users to click on a link which takes them to a page where they can log in to their accounts to update their billing information. And that’s when things go wrong.
How to Stay Safe?
Always keep your guard up and maintain your eyes wide open for suspicious emails.
If you get one, do not click on any links. And, contact Netflix customer service right away if you’re not sure about the authenticity of the sender.
Take a really close look and if you spot weird stuff like spelling mistakes or bad grammar, then that’s probably an email you should report.
You can report phishing emails to the FTC by forwarding them to spam@uce.gov and reportphishing@apwg.org.
You can also report phishing attempts to the Federal Trade Commission directly at their website. And also let Netflix know what’s going on by forwarding the message to phishing@netflix.com.