- Kyle Chua
Beware of Emails Sent by Scammers Posing As Netflix, Warns Police
Take caution when receiving emails from Netflix as there’s been a number of recent reports of scammers posing as the streaming service to steal subscribers’ payment information.
The Singapore Police Force in a statement on Monday, 18 July, said at least five people have been victimised so far, with total losses amounting to at least S$12,500.
The scam reportedly involves victims first receiving an email from an account claiming to be Netflix, which contains a link for them to supposedly renew their subscriptions to the service. Victims who click on the link are brought to a phishing website where they’ll be asked to provide their credit or debit card details, along with the one-time passwords (OTPs) sent via email or text. At this point, they’ve already been scammed as they have essentially now authorised whoever is behind the scheme to conduct transactions using their payment information.
The police reminded the public to be vigilant when receiving and engaging with emails that pose as trusted sources like Netflix.
Going by the screenshots of the emails the victims received, you’ll notice a number of red flags that almost immediately hint at the email being fake. The sender’s domain, for example, didn’t match the merchant or the service, which in this case is Netflix. Instead of “@netflix.com”, it was sent from “@xtra.co.nz”. The URL of the website where you can allegedly renew your subscription was also suspicious.
There are even cases when the wording of the email’s body is questionable as well. We at Tech360, for instance, recently received phishing emails from an account claiming to be Facebook, asking us to click on a link that would appeal the removal of our ad after it allegedly was disabled for violating the platform’s Terms of Service. The email opens with the phrase, “Hello Dear”, which we’re certain is not how Facebook typically addresses its users. That was, of course, enough to tell us that the email didn’t actually come from Facebook.
These are just some of those red flags that you have to watch out for. To be safe, always double-check the website URL or source of the email before engaging with it. Also, never disclose your banking details or OTP with anyone. Platforms like Netflix wouldn’t ask you to share your sensitive details via email or text. Transactions are usually conducted via a third-party vendor. But in case you’ve already been scammed, report the fraudulent charges immediately and have your card cancelled.
Beware of emails from Netflix as there’s been a number of recent reports of scammers posing as the streaming service to steal subscribers’ payment information.
The Singapore Police Force said at least five people have been victimised so far, with total losses amounting to at least S$12,500.
The police reminded the public to be vigilant of suspicious emails even if they come from trusted sources.