Fact Check: Do not believe in this suspicious email claiming to be from Netflix; it is a scam
The email regarding updating the payment details by clicking on a link as in the viral message is a scam. It is an attempt by scammers to steal personal information.
- By Vishvas News
- Updated: October 7, 2020
New Delhi (Vishvas News): A message we received on Vishvas News Whatsapp chatbot for fact check is a screenshot of an email purporting to be from Netflix. The email received by Netflix customers is regarding updating the payment details by clicking on a link. Vishvas News investigated and found the email to be a phishing scam.
Claim
The post shared on Vishvas News Chatbot is a screenshot of an email purporting to be from Netflix. The email read: “Your account is on hold. Please update your payment details. We’re having trouble with your current billing information. We’ll try again, but in the meantime you may want to update your payment details. Update account now. Your friends at Netflix.”
Investigation
Vishvas News investigated and found that this message is circulating since 2017 all over the world. In December 2018, U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued a statement regarding the same in a report titled: Netflix phishing scam: Don’t take the bait’.
It stated: “Scammers often use familiar company names or pretend to be someone you know. Here’s a real world example featuring Netflix. Police in Ohio shared a screenshot of a phishing email designed to steal personal information. The email claims the user’s account is on hold because Netflix is “having some trouble with your current billing information” and invites the user to click on a link to update their payment method.”
The same image was used in the report as that of the screenshot Vishvas News received for fact check.
We further searched and found an article on the website of Netflix titled: Phishing or suspicious emails or texts claiming to be from Netflix.
The article stated: “Did you receive an email or text (SMS) requesting your Netflix username, password, or payment method? If so, it probably did not come from us.” It further stated: “Don’t click any of the links or open any of the attachments and forward the email to phishing@netflix.com.”
The sender of the email was support@snaprides.co.za. Commenting on this Sandhya stated that this is a scam and we would take action on it.
Vishvas News contacted Netflix through its Chat Support on it website netflix.com. Sandhya from Netflix Customer Care Support stated that this is not a genuine email from Netflix. This email is an attempt to steal personal information and is a phishing scam. C
Conclusion: The email regarding updating the payment details by clicking on a link as in the viral message is a scam. It is an attempt by scammers to steal personal information.