Starlink customers are spreading the word about alleged scammers contacting them and pretending to be official Starlink support. Reddit, Facebook, and other social media users posted an email they received from a sender claiming to be with Starlink.

It’s an excellent reminder to current Starlink customers and other internet customers that they should familiarize themselves with phishing scams and how to avoid stealing their private information. With Starlink's popularity and customer base increasing, scammers would inevitably want to take advantage of shoppers and customers who hastily react to phishing emails or don’t know any better.

The message claimed that the customer’s payment method was accidentally deleted and requested they follow a link to update it.

“Your registered payment method has been deleted due to incorrect data we had on file, you must now renew your information to avoid late payment fees. To promptly resolve this issue, please log in below. Log in here. Starlink Team 2024”

An eagle-eyed customer didn’t click the link and quickly recognized it as a scam attempt. 

“Received this email today, obvious scam, but some people may be fooled. Just wanted to make everyone aware,” the customer wrote.

The email had a Starlink graphic, but the email address wasn’t from a Starlink.com domain, though the sender labeled it as being from Starlink. Most support emails that customers receive are from “no-reply@starlink.com.” 

In a scenario where payment information is outdated or payments aren’t going through, Starlink will send customers a “Payment Failed” email informing them to log into their account and fix their information. 

According to the Starlink Help Center, Starlink will send the customer three reminder emails before any action is taken. Starlink gives customers 14 days past the original billing date to update their payment information. During this time, the customer’s service is not impacted. 

If no changes are made, Starlink will shut off your service and won’t reativate until you pay the overdue amount. Starlink does not charge late payment fees, as the scam email claims—your dish will simply be cut off from the satellite network.

Internet providers are a favorite for scammers to impersonate since the internet is vital to our lives. Starlink is just the latest satellite internet provider that fraudsters are masquerading as in hopes of obtaining their target’s private information. Viasat and Hughesnet have also had their fair share of impersonators trying to trick their customers. 

Here are some easy tips for identifying phishing emails pretending to be your internet provider:

1. Urgent message: Almost every phishing email tries to instill a sense of urgency so the target reacts quickly and doesn’t stop to investigate. It will often threaten immediate consequences if you don’t act fast like shutting off service or charging penalty fees. When you see messages like this, it’s important not to panic and realize most internet providers don’t spring threats like these out of the blue—they typically give you a grace period if something is wrong with your payments.
2. False email address: Scammers can disguise their sender name so it appears your ISP is contacting you, but it’s essential to check the actual email address. Some phishing email addresses are obvious, but some are elaborate and contain simple misspellings. For example, instead of “@starlink.com” you may see “@stalink.com,” or instead of “hughesnet.com” it will be “hughes-nets.com.” If you’re unsure about the address, compare it to past emails you’ve received from your ISP.
3. Suspicious links: Appeals to verify account or payment information immediately are usually followed by a link to do so. Few companies will have a link or button to update your information immediately but instead will tell you to log into your account through their website. Most web browsers will tell you the address of the link when you hover your cursor over it; on mobile, hold the link instead of tapping to see the address. If it looks suspicious, then it probably is. When it comes to billing and account information, it’s always wise to go to the provider’s website directly to log in. 
4. Spelling errors and other suspicious signs: You can often tell if an email is suspicious if it appears sloppily written with misspellings, grammar mistakes, or odd phrasings. Scammers try to make these emails look as official as possible with logos and other graphics, but sometimes these can also look off. Emails that don’t look professionally made should be a red flag.