PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMS!

Want to foil fraud artists? Follow this primer

- Marc Saltzman

I'M AN AVID MOVIE STREAMER, and it's not unusual for me to receive emails from Netflix about things to watch. So a new message about updating my account information didn't seem out of place-especially as it featured the familiar red Netflix logo. Here's what the email looked like:

We were unable to validate your billing information for the next billing cycle of your 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 your membership to update your details and continue to enjoy all the best TV shows & movies without interruption.

We're here to help if you need it. Visit the Help Center for more info.
-The Netflix Team

But on closer inspection, the tone seemed a bit off (why so urgent?) and I noticed a typo ("48hours"). I promptly deleted the message without clicking the links, then blocked the sender.

This common "phishing" scam is engineered to trick the recipient into providing their credit- or debit-card number, bank details or Netflix password. Through email (often with questionable grammar), texts, social media requests or phone calls, cybercriminals are doing everything in their power to deceive and defraud you. Around the world people are falling victim to data breaches, viruses and ransomware (when you're locked out of your computer unless you pay to regain access).

Cybercriminals are often linked to attacks from China and Russia (often state sponsored), India (where many call centres are located) and parts of Africa (Nigerian prince, anyone?). That's because it can be difficult to find and charge perpetrators in those places. But the attacks can come from anywhere.