Netflix scam spoofs sign up pages to prey on streamers

The mass cultural influence of video streaming services is being weaponised by scammers. And with recent successes, like scam crypto investors making more than $3.3 million out of Netflix’s worldwide phenomenon Squid Game, they don’t appear to be stopping.

The newest form of scam using video streaming services consists of phishing attempts to lure potential and established subscribers into giving up payment information.

Lures are dressed up to look like movie and TV streaming offers which are then used to swipe payment data. If you aren’t a subscriber, they may consist of fake sign-up pages for services like Netflix which ask for your email address and credit card information.

If you are, they may consist of an email requesting you update your billing information. A link to “Update Your Account Now” will be in the email, which if then followed, leads to a malicious payment confirmation page.

Another tactic used is fake offers for users to stream popular shows, like Disney’s The Mandalorian. Victims would watch a trailer and then be asked to pay a fee to continue, which would allow the scammers to gain their payment details. Then, shockingly enough the rest of the footage would not appear.

Stolen streaming credentials are even being sold by criminals in underground markets. This is because many streaming sites, like Netflix, allow you to have multiple devices on a singular account. If cyber criminals sell your login credentials to other streamers, another stranger may sign in to your account. Even worse, a stolen password could be used in attacks against other victims accounts.

Users should be advised to not click on any links or buttons on emails associated with streaming services unless they have ensured the email is legitimate. They should remain vigilant, and look for obvious signs of a scam, like misspellings and links and pages that don’t match up.

Most of all, never trust any site or individual who promises viewings of shows or movies before their official release date.

Photo by Giordano Rossoni on Unsplash