- What the Fake Netflix Texts Look Like
- What to Do If You Receive a Fake Netflix Text
- What Happens If You Enter Your Information?
- Text Message Scams Are On the Rise
Netflix Users: Beware of a fake Netflix text message saying your account is on hold. This is a scam designed to steal your information and possibly infect your devices with malware or a virus.
- Financial Fraud Protection
- Identity Theft Protection
- Family Protection & VPN
If you receive a text message claiming to be from Netflix, do not click on any links. If you do happen to click on the link, don't enter any of your personal information. Just close the browser.
Note that this isn't the only Netflix scam circulating. Another common scam involves a text message or email offering free Netflix for a year—Netflix does not offer free subscriptions.
What the Fake Netflix Texts Look Like
There are several versions of this particular Netflix text message scam going around. The general messaging is the same, though—your Netflix payment has been declined, and your account is put on hold.
The purpose of this text is to get you to click the link, which will take you to a fake Netflix website. Once on the website, you'll be required to enter your personal information, which could include your:
- Netflix username and password
- Credit card information
- Social Security number (SSN)
- Address
What to Do If You Receive a Fake Netflix Text
If you receive a scam Netflix text message, delete it. Don't click on the link, and definitely do not respond with any of your personal information.
If you click on the link, don't enter any information into the website. Just close your browser.
If you're unsure whether the text is real or not, log in to your Netflix account from the genuine login page at Netflix.com/login or via your Netflix app. You can check your payment history and billing information there. If there are no issues with your payment, you know the text message is a scam.
Netflix Will Email You About Payment Issues
If there is a problem with your payment, Netflix will email you. However, even if you receive an email, it could be a scam. The best thing to do is check your account by logging into your Netflix account directly from the website or app—don't click any links from suspicious emails or text messages.
What Happens If You Enter Your Information?
If you're tricked into thinking the text message is legitimate and enter your information on the fake Netflix website, the scammer now has your information to commit further fraud. The extent of the damage will depend on what information they stole from you:
- Your Netflix login information: Scammers can lock you out of your Netflix account and possibly access your other online accounts (if you use the same username and password for other accounts).
- Name and address: Scammers can use this information to try and commit identity fraud or trick you further by impersonating your bank or other companies you do business with.
- Credit card information: Once scammers have your credit card information, they'll go on a shopping spree, buying whatever they can before you realize you've been scammed.
- Social Security number: Your SSN is possibly the most damaging piece of information that scammers can get their hands on. With it, they can steal your identity (which can take you years to recover from), take out lines of credit in your name (e.g., credit cards, loans), and commit further fraud in your name.
What to Do
The key to minimizing the damage is to act quickly to protect your accounts. Once you've realized you've entered your information on a scam website, you should:
- Change your Netflix password (and the password for any other online accounts that share the same login info).
- Notify your bank if you entered your credit card information. They will likely cancel your card and issue you a new one with a new number and expiration date.
- Scan your device for viruses and malware. Clicking the link could have installed harmful software on your device, which could steal all of your login information for all accounts.
- Forward the message to Netflix at [email protected].
- Block and report the text message as spam (if your phone has this function).
- To prevent spam texts from reaching you in the first place, block them within your messaging app or by using a third-party app.
- Freeze your credit or place a fraud alert on your credit report if you gave the scammer your SSN.
- Report the scam to the authorities.
Text Message Scams Are On the Rise
Netflix isn't the only company that scammers impersonate in text message scams. More and more text scams happen each year, with $86 million lost to this type of fraud in 2020, which has been consistently growing since.
According to Text-Em-All, around 376,032,773 spam texts are sent in the U.S. every day.
Scammers are likely turning to text messages as a new way to target their victims because people are more educated about scam emails and phone calls. Additionally, spam emails are easily blocked nowadays, never even reaching our inbox.
Other Types of Scam Texts to Be Aware Of
Scammers are sending more and more scam text messages pretending to be from legitimate companies and banks:
- Amazon
- Amex
- Apple
- AT&T
- Capital One
- Chase
- Citibank
- Citizens Bank
- Fedex
- Navy Federal
- Netflix
- PayPal
- Truist
- UPS
- Venmo
- Verizon
- Walmart
- Wells Fargo
Don't click on links within these texts or call the phone number listed. You should always find the genuine number for the company on their official website.
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