Attorney General Jim Hood is warning consumers today of a recent e-mail scam targeting Netflix subscribers.

After receiving emails purporting to be from Netflix, Mississippians have recently contacted the Consumer Protection Division of the Mississippi Attorney General's Office. The e-mail states that their credit card information has expired and advises  them  to update their account by clicking on a link provided.  In reality, these were fraudulent e-mails sent by scammers, impersonating a popular consumer brand to con citizens out of their financial information.

"This is an example of the types of phishing scams our office sees on a regular basis," said Attorney General Jim Hood. Consumers are urged not to comply with this or similar e-mail requests and to use caution when opening e-mails or downloading documents from unfamiliar sources. "Be Safe.  Make it a practice to never respond to e-mails or pop-ups that ask for your personal or financial information," Hood continued.

Phishing is the term used for computer-related scams that use e-mail, pop-up messages or cell phone text messages to deceive the consumer into revealing their credit card numbers, bank or credit union account numbers, social security numbers, passwords or other personal information.  Scammers will often impersonate legitimate companies, banks, credit unions and other financial institutions in hopes that consumers will fall for the scam and provide their personal information and account numbers.  

"Education and prevention are still key to avoiding these types of scams," Hood said.

The attorney general's office offers some basic tips to help keep you from becoming a victim of these or similar scams:  

• NEVER reply to an email, pop-up, telephone or text message that asks for personal or financial information. Legitimate companies WILL NOT ask for this information.  

• ALWAYS contact the organization using a telephone number you know to be correct if you are concerned about your account. Do not call or text the number left in the message, and NEVER follow an internet link to a site.

• NEVER e-mail personal or financial information. Review credit card and bank statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges.

• ALWAYS keep your anti-virus software up to date. In addition, use a firewall, which helps to make you invisible on the Internet and blocks communication from unauthorized sources.  

• BE CAUTIOUS about opening attachments or downloading files from e-mails you receive, regardless of the sender.  

Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of this scam or any other, should contact the consumer protection division of the attorney general's office at 1-800-281-4418. More tips on scams can be found at http://www.agjimhood.com.  

Previous Comments

ID

162161

Comment

Seems to me that for the scammers to target people that have Netflix accounts, Netflix's own computers containing that information had to have been hacked. Has anyone followed up with Netflix or contacted Netflix to inquire about any breach of their computers and databases?

Author

LambdaRisen

Date

2011-02-17T15:12:37-06:00

ID

162170

Comment

With more than 10 million subscribers, I'm guessing it's like throwing spaghetti at a wall: Find a demographic of people with cable TV and internet access, and you're bound to find Netflix subscribers; no hacking required.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2011-02-17T17:51:51-06:00