A television cable box scam is going around.
A resident sent CTN a scam that someone tried to pull on him.
It started with a phone call. The caller told him “We are calling to give you a discount on your TV service.”
He asked for, and I gave him the name of my service provider (I said AT&T though I don’t have any service provider, nor a cable box) and then he purported to be from AT&T.
He said he was installing an update on my cable box. It would take about 15 -20 minutes and cautioned me to absolutely not turn on my TV while he is “updating the box.”
As the update was “in process,” he started providing me with specials, such as no payment for the next three months and $30 off for the next three years plus a $100 bonus … In between he indicated the “update” is now 30%, 40% 70% finished …
He finally got to the point where he said that the $1200 cable box upgrade is nearly done and that it costs the company $1200 for the software.
He gave me a company name and address: TV Upgrade P.O. Box 611083 San Jose CA 95161 (Obviously fake)
And then he transferred me to the senior manager (who must have had an extra semester of English as second language).
The senior manager goes through the details very carefully and notices that I am a senior, which qualifies me for an additional $100 discount.
He then asks me to send him a security check for $230.44 “because some terrible people get the upgrade and take advantage of the company: but he can tell that “I am not that kind of person.”
I was instructed in detail how to write out the $230.44 check, always verifying the address to where I should send the check.
Here’s the clincher. He told me to place the check in an envelope and again verified that I have put the correct address on the envelope.
When I said that I don’t place mail with a check in my mailbox, he said, “No problem. Someone will come by the mailbox and pick it up, and . . .leave a $100 bonus coupon.
He said he will have the mailman pick it up right away, not to worry.
I didn’t put an envelope in our mailbox, but if I had, I would have placed a note in the envelope asking them to contact me at 800-349-9970 (The number for the Los Angeles County Fraud Hotline).
I was exposed to an even scarier cable-related scam. The scammer “proved” his legitimacy by actually posting a small credit to my DirecTV account which I verified by logging in to my account. They offered a long-term discount for a payment using gift cards that can be purchased at many retail stores. Not long after, I re-checked my account, and the “credit” was no longer there. The most disappointing part of the story was the disinterest of DirecTV in investigating this fraud attempt, even though it included someone hacking/manipulating their online account system.