A Netflix text and email scam has been hitting subscribers in March 2023, telling them that their “account is on hold,” and that they must update their payment and billing information to regain access. Here is everything we know about the suspicious messages, and what you should do if you receive them.
Netflix “account on hold” text scam 2023 explained: What should you do?
Many Netflix subscribers, and even some people who haven’t got a Netflix account, have received a text that claims their subscription has been put on hold. It provides a link to recover the account, and states that if action isn’t taken within 48 hours, it will be suspended permanently. This text is a scam, and recipients should not click on the link that is sent to them.
As seen in the example of the scam Netflix text above, there are a number of things that show this isn’t a real message from the streaming service provider. Two of the most notable pointers to this being fake is the nonsensical username where a contact’s information would usually appear, as well as the long link included in the message which appears to be from the official Netflix website, but will instead redirect to another one entirely.
There are also a number of spelling mistakes in the scam text, including “recovery,” rather than “recover,” and “bellow,” instead of “below.” If you receive this message, you should immediately block the contact, and if your mobile device has a “report as spam” feature, that could help take away the offender’s ability to try and scam more people in the future.
Netflix “update your payment information” email scam 2023 explained: What should you do?
The Netflix email scam from March 2023 is similar to the text that many have received, in that it asks the subscriber to update their payment information. This one is a little more well disguised than the text scam, however, as it appears to be from a legitimate email. Those who receive the message should not click on any links within the email under any circumstances.
In the example of the Netflix email scam above, there is one notable mistake that shows this is from a third party, rather than from Netflix itself: the space between “team” and the period in the first sentence after the “update payment information” button. The address is also fake, and doing a quick run through Google Maps shows that it actually doesn’t exist.
If you receive this email, you should use your email service provider’s “report as spam” function, before deleting the email from your inbox.
