Subscription services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, or even Amazon, have become a target among scammers where they are sending spam text messages claiming your payment did not go through or that you have money waiting for you due to an over-payment. Monmouth Police Department Investigator Josh Kramer says the scammers’ goal is to get you to click on the fraudulent link:
“What they are trying to do is, a lot of people with think ‘oh shoot I ordered something two days ago’ and that it is a legit reach out from the company that you bought from. Well, you are not going to get those in text messages, they will be direct messages through whatever platform you use. If Amazon has a problem, they will send you a direct message through Amazon or your Walmart account, it is going to be a direct message. When they send these, if you really look at them, and scroll down, you will see that information is not going to add up. You will have an address of sometimes overseas, sometimes it is in a location that it would just not make sense.”
If you receive a suspicious text message or email, don’t click or respond to the link in the message. Log directly into your account on the company’s website and check your payment history. If there is an issue, update your information using the official website or app, never the link provided.