Halton Trading Standards wants to make residents aware of a current Netflix scam.
The coronavirus pandemic lockdown has led to a surge in viewership of online video streaming services. With millions of more people staying at home, Netflix has seen a rise of 32% in paid subscriptions since mid-March according to billing platform Recurly. The radical shift in consumer activity has led to scammers attempting to take advantage of the situation.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has received evidence of bogus emails in Netflix branding which asks recipients to update their payment details. The email advises the recipient to click a link, which leads to a fake payment page which takes the credit card details of the target.
CTSI Lead Officer, Katherine Hart, said: “These types of scams are not new, but they’re increasing in prevalence since the pandemic lockdown began. Scammers react to the changing behaviours of the general public, and I am especially concerned about Netflix branded emails because of the rising popularity of the service.
“These scams will not be limited to a single company, and the public should also be aware of similar emails designed with competitor brandings such as Amazon Prime Video, Britbox, Disney+ and others.
“The public should not click any of the links contained in these emails and report bogus emails to Action Fraud and the company the scam message is using as cover.”
*If you or somebody you know has been caught out by a scam or fraud please contact specialist officers, Linda or Sue on 0151 511 8785 or 0151 511 8775, who are already working with people in Halton who have lost thousands of pounds to scams.
If you need advice on anything else please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline or 0808 223 1133.