BBB’s Dennis Horton Fills Us In On The “Netflix Scam”

Scam artists tend to go where the money is. Considering how many of us have leaned heavily on Netflix and/or other streaming services to get us through pandemic lockdowns, scammers are finding ways to trick you out of your subscription fees.

This is a scam that I hadn't heard of until this morning, when Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) joined the WROK Morning Show for one of his twice-monthly visits.

Before coming on the show, Dennis routinely emails me updates on what local scam artists are currently up to, so when I saw "Netflix Scam" on his list of topics, I immediately thought that the higher-ups at Netflix had figured out a way to stop people from sharing their Netflix password with friends and family. It turns out that you guys who do that are going to be okay...at least for now.

As you'll hear Dennis explain, the scam is convincing you that the scam artists (who don't label themselves as such) have a easier and cheaper way to get you signed up for Netflix or any of the other streaming services. However, when you give them a credit card number, you'll find that you can't connect to the promised streaming service. Not only that, but a scammer has your card number, expiration date, CVV number, etc.

Dennis also gave us the rundown on how scammers try to get your tax information so they can send in a return in your name and collect your refund, often before you have any idea that something has gone wrong: