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Hackers are selling lifetime access to Netflix, HBO Go, Spotify and more for just a few dollars

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 9:09PM EST

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It’s common practice to share your Netflix password with your loved ones and friends, but at the end of the day you’re still paying the subscription. However, some people looking for lifetime access to Netflix get their fix differently by purchasing access from hackers for less than $1.

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As Business Insider reports, hackers could be selling lifetime access to your subscription for just $0.50 on the dark web (see image below), and you might not even know about it. A recent report by McAfee Labs revealed that selling credentials for popular streaming services including Netflix and Spotify is a common practice in “Dark Web” marketplaces.

These underground services can only be accessed using TOR, but once you’re inside, you can purchase access to pretty much whatever you’re interested in getting. Access to stolen HBO Now and HBO Go accounts sells for less than $10 while premium pro sports services costs under $15. Spotify access sells for under $2.

Interestingly, the hackers selling these services provide “guarantees” that buyers will have access to lifetime subscriptions, meaning that the original buyer isn’t likely to cancel his or her streaming subscription service.

“I don’t want to call it a risk-free transaction but they try to make it as risk-free as they possibly can,” Intel Security CTO Raj Samani told Tech Insider. He revealed that some of this underground services even provide a help desk and that the stolen accounts are based on both stolen credit card information and account information.

In other words, if you see someone creating additional profiles on your Netflix account, then you should try canceling it – and your credit cards – and sign up for a new one using different information.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.