The holidays are a time for gifts, family, friends, and sometimes scams. The Federal Trade Commission has sent out a flare to warn Netflix users that there are some grinches out there looking to take advantage of everyone’s holiday bliss and vulnerability.

In a post on the FTC’s website, they warned us of scammers using household company names to dupe consumers. In a specific example, they cited a phishing email sent to a Netflix customer that claimed the user’s account is on hold because Netflix is “having some trouble with your current billing information”. The email invites the user to click on a link to update their payment method. Police in Ohio took a screenshot of the email (see image on right) that is a phishing scam to access valuable information.

The FTC sent the cautionary message out to all Netflix users so that they won’t be victim to phishing. Scammers use phishing by using fake emails or texts so that they can get personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, or your login IDs and passwords. This enables them to steal your money, identity and to get access your home & work computer or network. By clicking on a phishing email link, a scammer can install ransomware or other programs that can lock you out of your data.

The FTC posted helpful hints on their website to avoid phishing scams.