Someone Hacked My Netflix and I Got $150 Back. Here's How.

I woke up to an email from Netflix saying my password had been changed. I tried to log in and could not. Then I checked my bank account. Someone in a different country had upgraded my Netflix subscription to the Ultra HD plan and added five extra members. Total charge: $150 for two months of unauthorized activity.

I contacted Netflix support through their live chat. The agent was helpful. She confirmed that my account had been compromised. She locked the account, reset the password, and initiated a refund for all unauthorized charges. The refund was processed within 24 hours.

Netflix's security team also ran a check on the IP addresses that accessed my account. They identified three countries where the hackers were logging in from. They said they would ban those IP ranges.

The whole thing took less than an hour. Netflix's support was excellent.

Lesson: use a strong, unique password for Netflix. Turn on two-factor authentication. And if your account gets hacked, act quickly. The faster you report it, the more likely you are to get a full refund.

I now check my Netflix viewing activity once a month to make sure there are no unfamiliar devices using my account.