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Don't click that link in your email | 12 Scams of Christmas

The holiday season means your email inbox is likely full of deals and promotions from every company you've ever shopped with—here's why you should be careful.

YORK, Pa. — The holiday season means your email inbox is likely full of deals and promotions from every company you've ever shopped with, while some may offer 25% off others are trying to scam you.

On day 4 of our 12 scams of Christmas, why you should look at those emails and check them twice.

You get an email that claims your Netflix account is on hold.

It's the right logo, there's a phone number on the bottom and a link to update my payment information right now so I can be billed.

But wait, it's addressed to "Hi dear?" 

That seems...odd.

That's a sign this is a phishing email.

Click that link, update your payment information and a scammer, not Netflix, has access to your money.

These are incredibly common during the holidays and that's why alerts about compromised accounts made the Better Business Bureau's 12 scams of Christmas.

"We're definitely seeing an up tick in those account hacks. Especially with big names like Amazon, PayPal, Netflix, because scammers know we're shopping there," said said Kelsey Coleman, the Director of Communications at the Better Business Bureau for Metro Philly and Eastern Pennsylvania. 

Our passwords and accounts can be compromised all the time, so not every alert you get about a similar issue is a scam, but it's how you check to see if it's real that will help you or hurt you.

The bottom line? Do not click any link in your email. Take the extra 2 seconds to type in the actual web address. 

If you legitimately log into your account, you would be able to see if you were hacked there.

If you have a story you want Jackie to look into, FOX43 wants to find out. Send her a message on Facebook or send an email to FOX43FindsOut@FOX43.com.

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