FTC Warns Against Netflix Phishing Scam That Could Potentially Steal Your Identity

Phishing attacks have become one of the most common methods of scamming unsuspecting people out of something - usually money. We may all think we have our guards up to all forms of attacks, but when they can hit us through every form of communication, it's bound to happen to someone.

In a recent series of phishing attacks, Netflix and its many millions of customers have been targeted. The risk of damage from this phishing attempt seeking payment information has led the FTC to issue a specific warning about it. The agency also notes simple things you can do you spot a phishing attack: the first step is simply looking closer at such emails. If you simply skim over it, you might become a victim.

When a service like Netflix is as popular as it is, it's generally great for customers, since it means the service should only continue to get better. At the same time, this is an ideal situation for phishers, because it means a single email template will apply to millions of people. Cialis scam emails have potential to impact a great number of people, but Netflix is ubiquitous with video content nowadays, catering to pretty much everyone on the planet. The FTC provides the following tips to avoid getting scammed:

While some phishing emails look completely legit, bad grammar and spelling can tip you off to phishing. Other clues: Your name is missing, or you don’t even have an account with the company. In the Netflix example, the scammer used the British spelling of “Center” (Centre) and used the greeting, “Hi Dear.” Listing only an international phone number for a U.S.-based company is also suspicious.

There's always potential for someone who believes they'd never fall for a phishing attempt to actually do so. With millions of phishing emails sent out, someone is bound to have actually updated their payment details that same day, and could take this phishing attempt as something having gone wrong the first time. The same deception could strike those who are changing their password.

The sad fact is, HTML-based email allows phishing attacks to happen more often than they probably should, because attackers are able to script strikingly convincing duplicates of official company emails. A great way to defend yourself against any attack is to never treat your financial information lackadaisically. Always look at email headers before thinking about clicking on a link, and if you do find a scam, by all means give the "Report" or "Spam" button in your email interface a swift click!