Netflix Users Need To Watch Out For This Sketchy Email Scam

This Netflix scam is tricking customers into giving out personal info

Attention all Netflix users. There’s a scam going around that targets subscribers of the streaming service and tries to steal their credit card information. Grand Rapids Police Department posted a warning about the fraudulent emails that have been circulating, and explained the best ways to handle them.

Basically, scammers are posing as Netflix, and sending out emails to customers informing them that they cannot “validate billing information.” The user is then prompted to click a link and update their credit card number, which gives the con artists access to their bank account, and opens the door to identity theft.

The emails look incredibly similar to Netflix’s actual branding — down to the very logo, formatting, and font. Regardless, the police department warns, do NOT click any links.

“If you encounter this email, or any email you believe to be fraudulent, close it out without opening the links,” the Facebook post read. “If you would like to check the status of any account that you have online, we recommend that you go directly to the website and login as you normally would.”

This phishing scheme was reported several months ago in the United Kingdom, with Netflix users taking to Twitter to share the scam emails they had been receiving. Once again, the streaming service’s branding had been copied to a T.

In a statement to Good Housekeeping, Netflix strongly urged customers to reach out to their service directly if they encounter any suspicious emails.

“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,” a spokesperson from Netflix said. “…Members who want to learn more about how to keep their personal information safe against phishing scams and other malicious activity can go to netflix.com/security or contact Customer Service directly.”

Unfortunately, Netflix isn’t the only major company subject to phishing schemes. Your best bet for avoiding fraudulent behavior is to keep an eye out for red flags in emails. TODAY national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen noted during a segment on scams that you should check to make sure the sender’s email address is spelled correctly (sometimes it says bnk instead of bank), note if the formatting looks weird, and beware of anything that includes attachments.

Ugh. So, so sketchy. Stay safe out there, internet users.