Netflix customers in Gedling borough are been warned about a new scam doing the rounds this week.
Scamsters are sending emails out to users which claims their accounts have been disabled and it then goes on to inform the customer “you may want to update your payment details”.
The email, which looks similar to official communication from the streaming giant, also contains a link for customers to reactivate their account.
Action Fraud, the police’s national cyber crime reporting centre, put out a warning this week on Twitter: “There’s a bogus #Netflix email doing the rounds this week that’s designed to snatch your bank details!”
A spokesman for Netflix said: “We take the security of our members’ accounts seriously and Netflix employs numerous proactive measures to detect fraudulent activity to keep the Netflix service and our members’ accounts secure.
“Unfortunately, scams are common on the internet and target popular brands such as Netflix and other companies with large customer bases to lure users into giving out personal information.”
Experts advise people to be wary of emails with embedded links and instead suggest visiting websites directly using your browser if in any doubt.
Here’s a few tips to avoid being scammed by email:
1. Always check who the sender is. Even if the email seems legit, hover your cursor over the address to see where it really came from; if there isn’t a match, be wary.
2. Never download any attachments or click directly on any links. Instead, it’s worth it to directly type in the website in a separate browser if it is related to an account you have.
3. Keep an eye out for bad grammar or any typos. These are often a direct giveaway that it’s a fake email. Legit businesses proofread their communications.
If you find yourself in a situation where you’ve entered personal information like your log in credentials or payment details, monitor you bank transactions and change your password to Netflix and any other accounts that use the same password and username combo.
