- It's very easy to go for it, I who worked in IT security for many years had to look at it several times before I realized it was a scam, cybersecurity expert David Jacoby tells SVT News.
During the day, a number of alerts for emails that appear to come from streaming giant Netflix circulated on social media. The email prompts the user to enter the attached link to update their payment information.
Cybersecurity expert David Jacoby discovered the scam when he himself received the email on Monday night.
- This e-mail was so incredibly well formulated.
Warns of the email
Jacoby explains that this is a "phishing campaign", which in short means fraud where the fraudsters trick card or account information via e-mails or other types of messages, by having the user self-disclose them.
In this case, therefore, it is a player who sends e-mails claiming to come from Netflix and refers to another website. The website to which the recipient is linked is well-programmed and looks very authentic, Jacoby says. Clicking on the link itself does not mean that the fraudsters have come across any information - it is when the recipient fills in their payment information in the form that they can access the information.
Now Jacoby wants to warn of the scam as he sees a risk that people will not understand that the e-mail is false.
- Everything is in Swedish, it is the right logo and the same symbols. There was even a "sign out" button. They have done very well and well, he says and continues:
- It is very easy to go for it, I who worked in IT security for many years had to look at it several times before I realized it was a scam.
- There are ways to protect yourself. The easiest thing is to hold the mouse pointer over the link and see where it points. If it does not point to the website it claims to come from, it is a scam, says Jacoby.
At present, it is unclear how many people were affected by the scam. Users who have provided their information should contact the police.
SVT News has searched Netflix.