‘Cybercriminals use fake emails that try to get all of a user's data, from email addresses to passwords and bank details, in one go. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Cybercriminals use fake emails that try to get all of a user's data, from email addresses to passwords and bank details, in one go. Photo: Shutterstock

Netflix and streaming sites have become a favourite target of hackers since the beginning of the pandemic. Beware: their phishing attempts are scarily real. 

"Driven by the pandemic's lockdown restrictions and imposed work-at-home policies, people were able to spend more time at home seeking new sources of entertainment. While theatres and sports stadiums have suffered from a lack of live events, other businesses, such as online streaming services, have benefited from consumers spending more time at home. In fact, the amount of time spent streaming has increased by almost 75% in 2020," writes cybersecurity company Kaspersky.

It is only natural that Internet hackers are interested in trying to get hold of email addresses, passwords and, above all, bank details.

According to their statistics, until 1 June, 9 out of 10 Netflix users had been confronted with malicious messages, far ahead of Amazon Prime (6.26%), Apple TV (1.96%) and Disney+ (1.70%), but the latter is facing an upsurge in known cases. Customers in France and Germany are among the most affected in the world; there are no Luxembourg or Belgian statistics.

Netflix never sends this kind of email. Photo: Kaspersky

Netflix never sends this kind of email. Photo: Kaspersky

There are those who offer you a subscription, those who try to make you believe they need to update your payment method and those who bait customers with popular series, such as "The Mandalorian" and “Casa del Papel".

If you are affected by the attacks, it is better to go to the streamer's website directly, not to click on the link in the email.

In order to avoid being the victim of bank transfers or purchases without your knowledge or having to queue up because "subscribers" via the dark web are using your identifiers, it is better to ask for a disconnection of all the devices from the service and to change your password for a more elaborate one.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.