Fact Check

Is Netflix Giving Away Free 1-Year Subscriptions Due to COVID-19?

Phishing scams have proliferated on the internet since the start of the pandemic.

Published Dec. 6, 2020

This illustration picture taken on April 21, 2018 in Paris shows the logo of the Netflix entertainment company, displayed on a tablet screen with a remote control in front of it. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP)        (Photo credit should read LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images) ( LIONEL BONAVENTURE / Contributor, Getty Images)
Image Via LIONEL BONAVENTURE / Contributor, Getty Images
Claim:
Netflix is offering users a free one-year subscription due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Since the start of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States in March 2020, a scam has been circulating on the internet falsely informing viewers that streaming giant Netflix was offering a free one-year subscription due to the pandemic.

Here's an example of the scam we found circulating on Twitter, with the user's name cropped out for privacy reasons:

The text of the scam read, "Due to the CoronaVirus pandemic worldwide, Netflix is ​giving some free pass for their platform during the period of isolation. Run on the site cause it will end quick!" The post also included a link, which we cropped out because it is likely a phishing site.

Netflix is making no such offer, and in fact as of October 2020, it no longer even offered temporary free trials for potential subscribers.

In other Netflix-related scams, members of the public reported receiving emails and text messages from scammers posing as Netflix representatives, telling them they need to update their accounts. The company stated it wouldn't seek personal information, like banking or credit card numbers, in texts or emails.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more

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