No, Netflix is Not Offering One Year Free Trials

In our modern world, four things are certain: life, death, taxes, and phishing scams. In recent weeks, scammers seem to have revived the fake “Netflix one year free” offer, which has circulated at various times over the past few years. A free year of Netflix sounds great for any streaming fan — particularly because the service just announced that they will be raising prices yet again — but unfortunately, we’re here to provide a dose of reality: Netflix is no longer offering free trials at all, so these promos are most certainly part of a con to steal your money and information.

If you’ve received one of these fake Netflix phishing emails, let’s hope that you reading this before clicking anything. Is Netflix giving one year free trials? How do I detect Netflix fraud emails? Consider this your official guide to the latest Netflix scam.

IS NETFLIX GIVING 1 YEAR FREE?

To put it bluntly, no, Netflix is not offering one year free trials. If you’ve received an email offering one such promo, it’s a scam, and you should definitely not sign up for it.

DOES THE NETFLIX FREE TRIAL STILL EXIST?

For years, Netflix offered a 30-day free trial for new customers, but in October, the streaming giant shut down the program for good. As of now, Netflix is not offering any free trial promos, but a company spokesperson says that they plan to explore “different marketing promotions in the U.S. to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience.”

WHAT IS THE NETFLIX 1 YEAR FREE SCAM?

According to Scam Detector and LoveMoney, there are a few different versions of the Netflix free year scam. In one version, users receive an email alerting them that they have been “selected from thousands” to receive a free year of Netflix, and they are encouraged to provide their details to claim the offer. You should definitely not do this: clicking on the email links and filling out the form is a surefire way to have your information stolen.

Another version of the scam relies on Google Calendar invites that offer victims the opportunity to take a survey and receive “Free Netflix for a Year.” When you click the link for the survey, you will be taken to a phishing website that steals your Netflix account information and, from there, your credit card details. Once again, don’t click on the link or provide any additional information; simply delete the email and move on with your day.

As Scam Detector notes, Google Calendar allows you to change a setting that would prevent this version of the scam outright. In your Google Calendar settings, click “Event Settings,” and then head to the dropdown menu for “Automatically Add Invitations.” Change that setting to “No, only show invitations to which I have responded.” Additionally, make sure that the “Show declined events” box is unchecked; this will ensure that Google Calendar blocks spam events that you have declined.

IS THIS NETFLIX EMAIL REAL? HOW TO SPOT FAKE NETFLIX EMAILS

The Netflix Help Center makes it clear that subscribers will never be asked to enter their personal information (such as credit or debit card numbers, bank account information, or Netflix passwords) in a text or email. The company will also never request payment through a third party vendor or website, such a PayPal.

If you see a suspicious email in your inbox, “don’t tap or click it. If you did already, do not enter any information on the website that opened,” says Netflix. Instead, forward the email to phishing@netflix.com, and the company will look into it.

However, if you do click a phishing link or enter any personal information, there are still a few steps you can take to protect yourself, including changing your Netflix password, contacting your bank or financial institution, and updating passwords on any websites that use the same email and password combination.

For more information on Netflix phishing scams, check out this FAQ page.