The brilliant Netflix scam email

A couple of days ago, we received the following email. Take a good look at it.

Looks genuine, doesn’t it? It uses the Netflix logo. It looks like (what we imagine) a genuine Netflix email would look like. It is well written. It’s well presented. As far as these scams go, this one is pretty good.

But don’t be fooled. It is a scam. Definitely a scam. We’ll explain:

The e-mail address

Does it look genuine? The email address for this “Netflix” email was: Netflix Customer Services support@netflix.ssl.com. At first glance, it has Netflix in it, so it could be genuine, but look a little closer…

The email has not come from Netflix.com, it has come from Netflix.ssl.com, a subdomain of ssl.com. It is therefore highly unlikely that this is from Netflix!

“Dear Customer”

The greeting does not match the content. The content would imply that you have been specifically chosen to verify your details, so why don’t they use your name in the greeting? Why not make it friendlier and more personal?

Oh yeah, they don’t have your name…

Request for personal information

No legitimate business would ask you to provide intimate account information, such as your bank details. And this email does just that, in the form of a claim that this is for “verification” purposes.

Businesses like Netflix are far more likely to phone you if there is a problem, not send some dodgy email, and direct you to some dodgy website. Remember that.

The “Click here to verify your account” link

Hover your mouse over the “Click here to verify your account”, and wait for the bottom left, or bottom right of your browser to show the URL behind it.

Does that URL look like it’s a genuine Netflix website? Call us suspicious, but http://thejusticeteam.org/wp-includes/mods.php doesn’t seem like it is from Netflix.com.

Conclusion

So there we have it. By looking at a few aspects of this email, we have quickly and easily identified it as a fake, and hopefully, from this article, you have taken a few hints and tips on how to spot a fake for yourself.

One more really important tip

If you do receive an email like the Netflix example in this blog, and have reason to believe it is true, do not reply to the email. You may be replying to a con artist!

Instead, navigate to the website you know, or find it through a quick Google search, find the contact details, and get in touch yourself. Explain you have received the email, and just wanted to be sure…