Beware of a Text Message Scam Using Netflix Going Around East Texas
Thieves are the lowest of the low. Those thieves don't always have to be breaking into your home or car either. Some thieves like to be tricky and offer a great deal or a nice gift. These thieves are smart, too. They'll disguise it as coming from a legitimate company that most of use almost daily like Netflix. That's exactly what's happening right now with a scam being texted to folks across East Texas that is designed to steal your money.
Many Ways Scams Get to Us
Scammers will always find some way to steal your money or your personal information. Social media is a great tool for them to use because they can make their ruse look very legitimate. The other day, my girlfriend got a Facebook message from a friend. It started off with a simple "Hey, can I borrow some money until tomorrow" type of message. She responded as any friend would. It was the messages that followed that started throwing up some red flags. They asked for $100. The thing was, it was typed as 100$, that's obviously not right. They also became very pushy and wanting the money immediately which was completely out of character for this friend. She took a screenshot of the conversation and texted it her friend and let her know that her Facebook page may have been hacked.
Scam Sent Through Text Message
I have not received this text message but I have seen it passed around on Facebook over the last last three or four days. In the text message, there is a very professionally worded message that your Netflix account has been suspended because of a billing issue. They ask that you click on a link in the message to update your payment information. It looks like this below:
Signs It's a Scam
As with any scam, there are some things to look for that will seem out of the ordinary. First, Netflix WILL NOT text you about a billing issue, they will send a notice to the email associated with your account. Second, the link does not take you to Netflix's website. In this example it takes you to a verfmogz.ffm.to/removeat web address. This is where they will steal from you or possibly download some malware to your phone that the scammers could use to take over your phone. Either way, it would be bad to click on it.
Bottom Line
Bottom line is we do not want you or a relative or a friend to fall for a scam like this. These people are looking for only one thing, to steal your money or even some of your personal information so it can be used either against you or in a crime. If you get a text like this, DO NOT click the link, report the text message as junk and then delete it. Let everyone in your family from the elder members to your kids know that you got it and watch for it in their messages and to not click on that link.