Hackers targeting Netflix accounts in Tampa Bay

SARASOTA, FL (WFLA) – Hackers are targeting Netflix accounts in Tampa Bay, and making money by selling login information.

Andrew Solum, a Netflix subscriber from Sarasota said he noticed a stranger was streaming movies and TV shows from his account.

“Someone named ‘Lorene’ had created a user profile. And I’m thinking that’s really strange because I don’t know anyone named Lorene,” Solum said. “She watched some kids shows, some dramas, some TV shows.”

Sri Sridharan, with the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, explains hackers are using phishing scams and malware to get login information and then selling it on the deep web.

“[Neflix subscriptions are] about $100 to $150 bucks a year, so they could sell it for 50 percent off. And they’re still making a lot of money by selling your account,” he said.

Once a hacker accesses an account, personal details are revealed, including an email address and a partial credit card number.

Even though Netflix hides most of the credit card numbers, Sridharan said hackers will use the details to send victims emails, asking them to update their account information. The partial credit card number makes the email look legitimate.

Solum believes the virtual intruder watching his movies, only did so for about a week or two. He caught it early because it’s hard to miss a new profile.

“They could have just watched under my user profile and I probably wouldn’t have known,” he said.

Subscribers can also check their viewing history to see if there are any programs listed that they didn’t watch. If someone is accessing the account, Netflix recommends signing out of all devices and then resetting the password.

Sridharan believes other streaming services like Hulu and Roku could be vulnerable as well.Netflix Hacked? What to do: Read here.Report suspicious activity to Netflix here.