Netflix and steal.
Techsperts are warning Netflix subscribers about a “very large” cyber scam in which criminals hijack important financial info by sending people bogus messages.
“These SMS scare campaigns targeting Netflix customers have become ubiquitous and never stop, but they vary in size and scope,” warned security firm Bitdefender, per tech site Cybernews.
The latest digital scheme, which began in September but is still prevalent, cybercriminals send fake SMS texts warning Netflix subscribers of issues with their accounts.
“NETFLIX : There was an issue processing your payment. To keep your services active, please sign in and confirm your details at :https://account-details[.]com,”; reads one such alert.
Another common bootleg message warns customers of a so-called “failed payment.”
Those messages include links to phishing websites designed to collect the “login credentials, personal information, and credit card details,” per Bitdefender.
The commandeered credentials then end up on the dark web, where they’re sold to various clandestine rings.
The message masquerade, which spans 23 countries including the United States, is facilitated by the fact that Netflix doesn’t have two-factor authentication safeguards.
Rather, the streaming platform relies solely on user names and passwords, making the site susceptible to spearphishing.
The scams work by creating “a sense of urgency that requires immediate action,” per the techsperts, who add that “losing access to Netflix because of a missed payment might fit the definition of an emergency for a lot of people.”
Fortunately, it’s easy for customers to spot these digital infiltrators.
For one, Netflix never contacts its customers through text, as large firms don’t send customers links that require verification.
To avoid getting fooled by bad actors, Bitdefender urges customers to refrain from opening suspicious links and to manually type in websites instead of clicking links without vetting them.
Unfortunately, the digital Trojan horses don’t always appear as a “phishy”-looking text message — they could even already be on your phone.
Earlier this week, Cybersecurity company McAfee identified 15 malicious apps that have been downloaded onto at least 8 million Android phones and further warned about the “significant global increase of … predatory loan apps.”