Alert: MA Residents be Careful When Signing Up for Streaming Services

There is never a shortage of people trying to steal your identity and clean out your bank account in this day and age. Whether it's a traditional phone scam, a text scam, an email scam, and so on, protecting yourself from identity/monetary theft, sadly, is a part of our everyday reality.

Another scam that is making the rounds in Massachusetts and throughout New England is a streaming service scam. The Better Business Bureau which serves a number of states throughout New England including portions of Massachusetts recently released a press release about this recent streaming service scam.

The press release notes that if you have signed up for a streaming service like (but not limited to) Hulu or Netflix you need to be careful when going through the steps of activating your account. According to the Better Business Bureau when you go to activate your service through a web browser, if you search for the service and click on the first result when you get to that service it could look a bit off. For example, as soon as you click the link, the site prompts you to update your web browser. Scammers have set up a lookalike website to trick you into downloading malware. If you click “Update” or any other button, you could download a virus that gives scammers access to your personal information. The Better Business Bureau suggests that it’s best to close the page immediately.

Get our free mobile app

There is also another method in this particular scam where the con artists can trick you into providing them with your information so they can access your account. You can read more about that method by going here. 

The bottom line is that you want to make sure you are going to the official website of the streaming service. If something looks off, it probably is. In these current times, you can never be too careful. It's a good reminder to make sure you are certain that you are on a legitimate website before giving away your information. You can find more tips on avoiding streaming service scams by visiting the Better Business Bureau.

Speaking of Money: Let's Take a Look at These Rich Folks