How to identify scams like "Netflix Account Suspended"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "Netflix Account Suspended" scam email?
We have reviewed the email and found that it is a scam. This email is disguised as a notification from Netflix regarding the suspension of the account. Its purpose is to trick users into disclosing personal information on a fake web page. Such emails are known as phishing attempts, and they should be ignored.
More about the "Netflix Account Suspended" scam email
This phishing email claims that the recipient's Netflix account has been suspended due to an issue with billing information. It urges the user to act quickly and threatens suspension unless they respond within 48 hours. The email encourages users to click a link to "restart membership" and update their details to regain access to their account.
It contains a "VERIFY NOW" button/link that leads to a fake Netflix account sign-in website designed to extract login credentials (email address and password). The entered information is sent to scammers. They can use obtained login credentials to steal Netflix accounts and sell them to third parties.
Scammers may also access other accounts, such as email, social media, and gaming platforms, using the stolen credentials, especially if the victim uses the same login details across multiple accounts. They may use these accounts to make fraudulent transactions or purchases, send phishing links, deliver malware, and engage in other malicious activities.
Therefore, it is important to recognize phishing emails to avoid disclosing personal information on fake websites. Knowing how to identify scam emails can prevent monetary loss, identity theft, and other problems.
| Name | Netflix Account Suspended Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Netflix account has been suspended |
| Related Domain | xflix-updat.in-the-band[.]net |
| Detection Names | alphaMountain.ai (Phishing), CyRadar (Malicious), Emsisoft (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Sophos (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Disguise | Notification from Netflix |
| Symptoms | Generic greeting, urgent language, suspicious links, grammatical errors. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Similar scam emails in general
Phishing emails are fraudulent messages designed to trick users into revealing sensitive information like login credentials or financial details. They often are disguised as important and urgent notifications, warnings, etc. Recognizing and avoiding these emails is crucial to protecting your personal information and preventing potential threats.
Examples of phishing emails are "Overdue Contract Funds", "Capital One - Account Restricted", and "Roundcube Account Will Be Suspended". Emails of this kind can also be used to trick users into infecting their computers.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cybercriminals often use email as a way to trick people into infecting their computers. They might send users an email containing a seemingly harmless attachment—like a PDF, a Word document, an executable file, or even a script—that contains hidden malware.
The malware can be planted on computers when users open or interact with the attachment (for example, by enabling macros in a document). These deceptive emails might also include links that take users to a compromised or malicious website. On this site, malware might automatically start downloading, or you users may be misled into manually installing the harmful program.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Exercise caution when handling emails that include links or attachments, especially if they come unexpectedly, seem irrelevant, or originate from unknown addresses. Always download programs and files from reputable sources like official websites or recognized app stores—steer clear of unofficial sources, pirated software, cracking tools, or key generators.
Also, avoid clicking ads, pop-ups, buttons, or links on suspicious websites, and do not allow these sites to send you notifications. Keeping the operating system and software up to date and regularly scanning a device using reliable security software is also essential for maintaining your protection.
If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Netflix Account Suspended" email letter:
Subject: Please Confirm Your Information
Netflix
Account Suspended !Dear Customer,
We were unable to validate your billing information for the next billing cycle of subscription.
Therefore we'll suspend your membership if we do not receive a response from you within 48Hours
Obviously we'd love to have you back, simply click restart membership to update your details and continue to enjoy all the best TV shows
VERIFY NOWWe're here to help if you need it. Visit The Help Centre for more info or contact us.
-The Netflix Team
Phishing website used in this scam:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is Netflix Account Suspended fake email?
- Types of malicious emails.
- How to spot a malicious email?
- What to do if you fell for an email scam?
Types of malicious emails:
Phishing Emails
Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.
Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.
After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.
Emails with Malicious Attachments
Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.
In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.
If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.
While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.
Sextortion Emails
This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.
To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.
How to spot a malicious email?
While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:
- Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
- Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
- Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
- Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.
To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
Example of a spam email:
What to do if you fell for an email scam?
- If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
- If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
- If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
- If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
- Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why did I receive a scam email?
These emails are typically sent at random, as scammers do not usually target anyone in particular. They gather email addresses from data breaches, scam sites, or other sources and send the same message to all recipients.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by a scam email, what should I do?
If you have shared login credentials, change the password for the affected account as well as any others using the same details. In other instances, make sure to report the incident to the relevant authorities.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached an email, is my computer infected?
The level of risk varies based on the type of file used to deliver malware. Opening malicious executables can cause immediate harm. However, files like documents or archives do not deploy malware unless additional steps are taken after opening them.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
If recipients avoid interacting with suspicious links or attachments that could be harmful, opening emails is safe.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner can identify and eliminate most known malware, but more advanced threats may hide deep within the system. To fully remove these, it is advisable to perform a thorough (full) system scan.
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