Streaming services, like every other business, roll out special holiday promotions every year. But not all the offers are legitimate.
Cord Cutters News received several examples of emails from scammers posing as popular streamers.
The users shared separate experiences about getting emails saying they’ve been “randomly selected” for a “limited offer” to get Paramount+, Peacock, Max, and Hulu each for $2 to $12 a year. These emails included a button to click to claim the offer.
Cyber criminals are always looking for and finding new and creative ways to steal your personal information. It’s always a good idea to vet an offer, especially if it comes via email.
If you visit the streaming service’s site, you won’t see an advertisement for a $2 a year deal. If you can’t find these offers on the official streaming service’s website, typically they are not real offers.
This doesn’t mean that all promotional offers that arrive in your email are fake. Some are the real deal, but a quick visit to a company’s official website can save you from getting caught in a phishing scam or malware on your device.
If you get an email like this, check for other inconsistencies as well. Do you notice any spelling errors in the sender’s email address, message’s text, or subject line? Have you received an email from the sender or company before? Does the sender ask for personal information?
If you notice anything amiss in an email, it’s likely a scam.
One glaring discrepancy can be found at the bottom of the screenshot for the phony Paramount+ deal. It says the recipient can unsubscribe to the emails by “clicking here” or writing to an address in Las Vegas, Nevada. A quick search of the listed address doesn’t return a location with any connection to Paramount Global but a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant.
Fraudsters can create strikingly believable messages to lure you in, but recognizing the red flags and doing some minor detective work can save you a lot of trouble in the long run.