Serious questions are being asked about how Netflix subscribers are being managed after it was revealed that deactivated accounts are being reactivated and counted as part of their subscription growth.
What’s been revealed is that former Netflix customers who cancelled their subscription months are seeing their accounts taken over by criminals.
BBC Radio 4 recently claimed that criminals can log in to dormant accounts and reactivate them without knowing users’ bank details.
Currently when an Australian subscriber decides to dump Netflix their account is kept on the Netflix system for almost a year, this includes billing and payment details.
What Netflix is hoping for is that former subscribers will opt back in.
Netflix says this information is available to members who choose to cancel, and they will delete it all if requested by email.
Back in April 2019 one Netflix subscriber found her account had been charged $22 by Netflix in September.
She said: “I tried to login to my account, but it said my email and password had not been recognised.
“It turns out the criminals had changed my login details completely and had signed me up for the most expensive service.”
Ms Keen contacted Netflix customer services and was told her card would be blocked and she would be refunded.
However, Netflix went on to take two more payments in October and November and refunded her only in part.
Former Netflix subscribers have been complaining on Twitter about it happening to them too:
@PorterPlant@PORTERPLAN
There is a lucrative market for Netflix login details, with criminals selling “lifetime” accounts on eBay for as little as $5.99
An eBay spokesperson told the BBC that these listings were banned from the platform and that they would be removed, and enforcement action taken against the sellers.
Netflix says the safety of its members’ accounts is top priority, and members who notice any unusual activity on their account should contact them immediately.
