Contributor
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2 Messages
Fraud call about signal upgrade and need for new receiver
I received a phone call from someone claiming to be from Directv. He stated that there would be an interruption to my service while they test the signal. He stated that they were upgrading the signal technology and my receiver needed to be upgraded and they would be sending me a newer model receiver. He said I would pay up front for the receiver but would be credited over the next year to offset the purchase price and he would also credit me $55 per month for the next two years.
I informed him I would not pay for anything up front. The scary thing was he had access to all of my account details and even knew which receivers I currently had on and which ones I did not. He definitely had access to the Directv system. Because of this detail, it was a very convincing scam.
When I balked at paying for the upgrade he finally got frustrated with me and told me to call DISH...thus exposing the elaborate scam.
I am very concerned as this guy obviously has access to Directv's live system.
shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.3K Messages
4 years ago
Maybe but it is more likely they bought that info from the dark web that got it from all the hacks or they had enough info to call DTV to get the info. There is no need to check the signal as if it stopped 20 million customers will be telling them and there is no way DTV knows what signal strength you are getting only a tech at your home knows.
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bard_9
Contributor
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2 Messages
4 years ago
No. It's working fine. And yes account info could be available on dark web. But for him to actually know when receivers were on or off was not from the dark web. I am pretty confident he was hacked into the DirecTV system.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.3K Messages
4 years ago
DTV doesn't know what receivers are on or in standby or even if they are plugged in or connected to the dish.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23.4K Messages
4 years ago
@bard_9
That was absolutely a scam. DirecTV does not call you for upgrades or discounts. They have absolutely no way to test the signal you are receiving. The receiving dish is one-way as it is not a transmitter. As such, DirecTV does not know which boxes are on and which ones are not.
Much information is from the "dark web", others are social engineering cons where they trick you into giving up information thinking they already have it. And when they are trying this with thousands of customers, enough guessing and they will be right with somebody. It only takes one victim to make it all worth it for them.
They are currently trying to use a real DirecTV situation to seem more credible. DirecTV is in the process of shutting down their MPEG-2/SD-only feeds. That means customers with outdated equipment do need to get it swapped. But they call the officially, publicly listed customer support number. Those with non-DVR D12, DVR R16, or older, must get newer equipment. If someone has any R22s, those can stay as long as there is one H or HR model on the account since they are a special MPEG-4 capable box (in the right setup).
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DIRECTVhelp
Community Support
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255.6K Messages
4 years ago
Thank you @Juniper and @shannon02 for sharing this information, we appreciate it.
@bard_9, thank you very much for bringing this to our attention, we know how important this issue is and I will take this feedback, so we can make sure this doesn't happen again in the future.
Report unwanted calls to help us identify and block them. Learn more details on how to recognize and prevent phone scams to protect yourself.
Thank you.
Hailey, DIRECTV Community Specialist
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