"Payment failed" and "account on hold" emails: scam or real?
Often a scam, and you never need the button to find out. Emails saying your payment failed or your account is on hold are a favourite phishing trick, copying brands like Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney+ and PayPal. Open the app or type the company's address yourself. If there's really a billing problem, it will be waiting for you there.
What it looks like
Your membership is on hold. We were unable to process your last payment. Update your payment details within 48 hours to keep watching: https://netflix.account-update-center.top/billing
An example in the style of real reports. The link is fake and shown as plain text so it can't be tapped.
See how SafeToHop scores this link →
Signs it's fake
- The sender's real address doesn't end in the company's own domain. Tap or hover over the sender name to see it.
- "Dear customer" instead of your name.
- A countdown before you lose access.
- The brand name sits on the left of the link while the real domain on the right belongs to someone else, as in the example above.
- The email arrived at an address you don't use for that account.
What to do
- Don't use the button or link in the email.
- Open the company's app or type its address yourself and check your account's billing page.
- Use your email's "Report phishing" button, then delete the message.
Already tapped it? Follow our step-by-step guide: I clicked a suspicious link. Now what?
Common questions
How do I see who really sent an email?
On a phone, tap the sender's name to reveal the full address. On a computer, hover over it. Everything after the @ should be the company's own domain, such as netflix.com, not a look-alike.
Can a scam email come from a real company's address?
Occasionally the visible name is faked even when the address looks right. That's why the safest habit is to ignore the link and go to the company's site or app yourself.
I updated my card through the email. What should I do?
Call your card issuer to block the card, then change the password for that account on the real site and turn on two-step verification.
Not sure about a link?
Paste it into SafeToHop. We read the address without opening it.