The Better Business Bureau is reporting an uptick in phishing scams that offer free Netflix for a year, “due to the pandemic.” What makes them so dangerous is they’ll link to fake login pages that are very convincing—in some cases, with functioning CAPTCHA user-verification boxes meant to reassure you that the site is real.
How the scam works
Netflix-related scams have been a chronic problem since the pandemic began, as phishing attacks using bogus Netflix URLs have increased dramatically—up 646% last summer compared to the same period in 2019, according to the security firm Webroot. In the latest version of the grift, people receive a text message that reads something like this:
Due to the pandemic, Netflix is offering everyone a free year of service to help you stay at home. Click the link to sign up.
Clicking on the link takes you to a fake login page, which will ask for your personal information and credit card details. Of course, your credit card will be charged without your permission, and you won’t get access to Netflix. Plus, your personal information might be sold or used for other grifts. As the fake login page can be a very convincing replica of Netflix’s legit sign-in page, and might even include functional CAPTCHA boxes, many people fall for the scam.
As a rule of thumb, don’t click on links in unsolicited texts, and don’t trust any sign-in page just because it looks legit. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has these tips to avoid the Netflix phishing scam:
Don’t believe every text you receive. As a general rule, companies can’t send you text messages unless you opt in to receive them. If you receive a text message from a company you haven’t given permission to contact you in this way, proceed with caution.
Go straight to the source. If an offer seems strange, or too good to be true, contact the company directly by looking up their official contact information online. Call or email customer service to find out if the text message you received is legitimate.
Take a close look at web addresses. If you follow a link in a text message that you believe is legitimate, examine the web address carefully before you take any action to make sure you are visiting a company’s official website and not a look-alike.
Ignore instructions to text “STOP” or “NO.” Even if you realize the message is a scam, don’t text back for any reason. Scammers may want you to text back to verify that your phone number is an active one. Instead, simply block the number so you won’t receive messages from it in the future.
Change your password. Even if you don’t fall for this scam, Netflix advises its customers to change their password if they’ve been targeted.
Click here for more tips from Netflix.
If you’ve received text messages from scammers, report it on the BBB’s scam tracker.