Netflix scam. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Netflix scam – a fake Netflix-themed message which seeks to swindle sensitive information from its subscribers
Netflix scam is a fake message which urges its victims to log into their Netflix account and make certain modifications to it. Besides, it can be used to swindle user's personal informations, such as login details, bank details and similar data which is considered to be sensitive. Typically, Netflix virus displays its scams on phishing domains.[1] However, they can also be received in a form of misleading pop-up message or scam. If you have been dealing with this and similar scams on your computer, make sure you double check it for adware or a browser hijacker.
| Name | Netflix scam |
|---|---|
| Type | Adware |
| Danger Level | High. Users might disclose sensitive data, such as login details and financial information, to cyber criminals |
| Distribution | Bundling, phishing emails, infected websites |
| Symptoms | Netflix-themed warning messages, pop-ups, redirects |
| Main types |
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| Removal | You can employ Reimage to eliminate all PUPs from your computer. This procedure can |
Phishing scams became extremely popular in recent years, mainly because there are always people who will fall for these false alerts. However, over the years, even the least computer-savvy individuals managed to recognize failed messages containing terrible grammar and spelling mistakes.
Nevertheless, from time to time, a perfectly designed scam arises that might deceive even advanced computer users. Therefore, it is vital to know how to protect yourself from adware threats and also remove Netflix scam and redirects which are typically related to it from your PC ASAP.
So, how do so many people get tricked by crooks hiding behind Netflix hoax and similar scams? To find out, we need to look how adware works. Adware is ad-supported software which aim is to expose users to sponsors’ content to earn monetary benefits. Therefore, adware creators do not care which sites they might redirect users to. Their main aim is to fill their web browsers with sponsored content and similar information.
This way, users might end up on Netflix scam website. However, scams can be avoided entirely easily if users pay enough attention. On the other hand, malicious JavaScripts can be run on hacked sites and install malware[2] automatically into victims computers. Thus, it is crucial to arm yourself with reputable security software (such as Reimage) which can protect you from such threats.
The authors of Netflix virus have a very simple motive to ploy phishing attacks – they want Netflix account information that contains personal details, like name, home address, banking details, etc. This data can be used for various malicious activities, such as identity theft or money extortion.
Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
If you are 'Windows 10 / Windows 8' user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once 'Quick Access Menu' shows up, select 'Control Panel' and 'Uninstall a Program'.
Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'
Click on menu icon and select 'Manage add-ons'
Right click on each of malicious entries and select 'Disable'
Delete malicious URL, enter your desired domain name and click 'Apply' to save changes
Go to 'Advanced' tab and click on 'Reset' button. Now select 'Delete personal settings' and click on 'Reset' button again
Go to Settings and select 'Choose what to clear'
Select 'Clear' button
Open the start menu and select 'Task Manager'
Right-click 'Microsoft Edge' and select 'Go to details'
Select 'More details' if 'Go to details' option fails to show up
Find Microsoft Edge entries and select 'End Task'
Go to Microsoft Edge folder on your computer, right-click every entry and click 'Delete'
Find Windows PowerShell, right-click it and select 'Run as administrator'
Copy and paste a required command and press 'Enter'
Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times
Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
Select all options and click on 'Reset' button
Netflix scam types
Netflix is one of the most popular and trusted video streaming platforms that has been considered as affordable and safe. Thus, it is not surprising that cybercriminals are trying to abuse Netflix’ customers by pretending to be company's representatives.
At this moment, these are the most known variations of a scam:
“Special pricing for 25,000 subscribers.” This message claims that first 25,000 individuals who will subscribe to the supposed exclusive offer will receive special pricing for Netflix for the whole year. Users who proceed with this offer are additionally redirected to a form where they are required to reveal their banking and personal information. Users of this scam can become victims of identity theft, and cal also suffer from the money loss.
“Unable to Bill Your Subscription.” In this variant, victims of the Netflix scam are explained that their connected bank account couldn’t be charged. Additionally, users are required to renew their banking details so that the streaming service would not get interrupted. If proceeded, users are redirected to the fake website of scammers which is used to extort people's banking information. You should never ignore such redirects on your computer. To prevent such losses, always double check the URL of the site. You can also contact the company's support to ask it about the issue.
“Your Netflix Membership Is About To Be Canceled.” This variation of the scam is very similar to “Unable to Bill Your Subscription” one. It states that the authorization of the bank card failed and, if not updated, the subscription will be canceled. The notice might deceive individuals who do not want their Netflix service to be cut off. After clicking on the link provided, users are redirected to a webpage which visually looks identical to the official company's site. However, victims are providing their account login info.
“Free Netflix Subscription for a year.” Similarly to other versions of the scam, victims are offered a fake free subscription for a year as a nine-year anniversary gift. After proceeding with “Join Now” button, users are prompted to enter personal data, such as a full name, email address, credit card information, etc. You should always contact company's support to make sure that you are not trying to receive fake gifts. Otherwise, you can become a victim of an identity theft.
Ways scammers trick their victims
Adware programs promoting fake alerts can be obtained via bundling. It is a common PUP distribution method which allows freeware developers add additional components to their installation managers. Thus, users who are rushing the installation process might not even notice that they just agreed to install unwanted programs.
Therefore, pay attention when installing free software obtained online. The most critical step is never to rush the procedure and pick Advanced/Custom settings when prompted. Recommended/Default mode is not advised as it might be hiding additional components.
Security experts[3] noted that phishing emails became extremely widespread in recent years. Thus, be highly careful when opening emails, even if it looks like the source is legitimate. You need to find the signs of fraudulent email and never proceed with links provided there.
Eliminate Netflix scam fake alerts and keep your bank account safe
You can remove Netflix scam on your computer by eliminating adware-type programs from the system. In this case, we highly recommend installing robust security software and checking your computer system entirely. Programs that we recommend for fixing this issue are given in the list below. They will not only detect unwanted programs which are responsible for these hoax popups, but will also warn you, if you are entering a dangerous website on the internet.
If you would like to proceed with a full Netflix scam removal without employing additional software, you can follow our illustrated guide which is presented below this post. However, make sure you execute each step correctly as failure to do so might lead to reinfection of the virus.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Netflix scam, follow these steps:
Uninstall Netflix scam from Windows systems
To delete Netflix scam alerts from Windows OS, follow this guide. You need to find and uninstall all suspicious third-party programs that you can't remember installing:
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
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Uninstall Netflix scam and related programs
Here, look for Netflix scam or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Erase Netflix scam from Mac OS X system
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Netflix scam or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Eliminate Netflix scam from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Netflix scam and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Netflix scam removal.
Delete Netflix scam from Microsoft Edge
Do not forget to reset your MS Edge settings to finish the removal of this scam:
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, Netflix scam should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariGet rid of Netflix scam from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select Netflix scam and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Netflix scam removal.
Remove Netflix scam from Google Chrome
We highly recommend uninstalling all suspicious browser add-ons from the browser. Additionally, perform a full reset on your web browser.
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select Netflix scam and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Netflix scam removal.
Uninstall Netflix scam from Safari
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences. -
Here, select Extensions and look for Netflix scam or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... -
Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Netflix scam removal process.
About the author
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References
- ^ What is phishing?. PhishTank. Information about phishing.
- ^ Tim Fisher. What is Malware?. Lifewire. Tech Untangled .
- ^ LosVirus. LosVirus. Italian cybersecurity experts.