Phishing scams are nothing new and at this point, even less-than-savvy users have basically become experts at spotting them. It’s typically pretty easy because they’re often littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, and sometimes they don’t even use formatting that’s anything like real emails a company has sent out in the past. Every so often, however, a new email scam pops up that’s just good enough to pose a real problem for unsuspecting targets, and such is the case with a new scam that popped up recently.
Netflix subscribers are being targeted by this latest scam, which is particularly troubling because so many people in the United States can be counted among Netflix’s subscriber base. Also troubling is the fact that this particular phishing scam plays on people’s love of Netflix by suggesting their accounts could be suspended if action isn’t taken.
As can be seen in the image above, the formatting with this new phishing scam is much more accurate than what we’re used to seeing in email scams. The sender is a dead giveaway that something fishy is going on, and there are plenty of other signs that this a phishing scam. At the same time, however, the idea that one’s Netflix account might be suspended could easily be enough for someone to ignore all of the red flags and click the link in the email.
Here’s the page that is displayed when a link in the email is clicked:
Again, this fake login page is a very good recreation of Netflix’s actual login page, so it’s easy to see how a user might be tricked into logging in. Once login credentials are entered, they’re saved by the perpetrators of the scam.
“We were recently made aware on an email phishing scam that we thought may be of interest to many of you,” the Grand Rapids Police Department warned in a post this week on Facebook. “Over the last couple of months, an email from a fake account has been circulating to Netflix customers alerting them of the deactivation of their account because the company “could not validate billing information”. The email then prompts you to click on a link and enter your personal information to include credit card numbers. This is not a legitimate email from Netflix and your accounts may be compromised/identity fraudulently used if you provide information.”
The post goes on to warn users that if they receive this email or one like it, they should delete it immediately without opening any links. And of course, anytime you get any email asking you to take action regarding any type of account, you should open the site manually in your web browser rather than clicking any links within the email. Better safe than sorry.
