Irish users popular video streaming service Netflix have been warned to be on their guard against the threat of a major phishing scam that attempts to steal their credit card details.
The phishing scam, identified by Cork-based IT security company Smarttech.ie, comes in the form of a fake message on the users screen requesting the user to click on a link and update their credit card details or else their Netflix account will be cancelled.
It is estimated that Netflix has over 175,000 users in Ireland. eNtflix has become the second largest driver of web traffic on fixed-line networks, accounting for 17.8pc of traffic. According to Sandbox, Netflix will become the leading source of network traffic across the UK and Ireland within the next year.
“Phishing scams are one of the most common forms of security threats that users experience,” warned Ronan Murphy, CEO of Smarttech.ie.
“While the message may appear genuine and has the company logo, in this case Netflix, attached to the message, it is fake and Netflix did not send it.”
Beware of geeks bearing gifts
Murphy advises that if you have received this fake email, the best course of action is to just ignore the email and do not click on it.
If you have clicked on the message, do not enter any of your personal information or credit card or bank account details.
“Phishing scams like the Netflix one, pray on peoples tendency to trust the authenticity of message and the company logo,” Murphy explained.
“Once the criminals carrying out the scam have collected enough information from the unsuspecting victims, they can use it for credit card fraud or identity theft.
“As a general rule, one should always be wary of any unsolicited emails or messages looking for your personal information or credit card details, no matter how genuine they look, and you should never and never click on anything that requires credit card details or that requires update followed by a link or attachment,” Murphy said.
