Netflix Users Beware: Credit Card Scam Targeting 23 Countries

Netflix users, listen up! There’s a tricky phishing scam on the loose, targeting users in 23 countries, trying to sneak away with your credit card info. The scheme starts with urgent SMS messages claiming payment problems, prodding you to a fake website to swipe your login and credit card details. Yikes!

This deceitful ploy, flagged first by cybersecurity firm Bitdefender, started making the rounds in September, hitting countries like Germany, Spain, the US, France, and more. So how does it work? Well, it kicks off by setting off alarm bells with time-sensitive text messages, insisting on a payment glitch and offering a link to “fix” things.

One of the scammy messages reads, “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.” Sneaky, right? Once you click on the link, you’re welcomed by what looks like a legit Netflix site, prompting you to enter your login details.

If you take the bait, you’ll soon find yourself on a page claiming your account is suspended, demanding not just personal info but also credit card details to “restore” access. And where does all this sensitive info end up? Most likely on the Dark Web, where it’ll be sold off in bundles or individually. Scary stuff!

Netflix, of course, is on high alert and has issued an official statement, reminding users that they never solicit personal details through texts or emails. They firmly state, “We will never ask you to enter your personal information in a text or email. We will never request payment through a 3rd party vendor or website. If the text or email links to a URL that you don’t recognize, don’t tap or click it.”

So, dear Netflix fans, stay cautious, keep an eye out for any suspicious messages or emails, and remember—when in doubt, don’t give your info out! Stay safe out there in the streaming world.