New Member
Is there a telephone SCAM concerning upgrading Directv receivers?
Beware of an Att/Directv scam. Someone calls claiming to be Att/Directv, they tell you they are from Directv & you need to get an upgrade on your receivers. They ask how many TV’s you have. Then they transfer you 2 times. They explain Directv is upgrading there services and they do the upgrade and due to the Pandemic they can not come to your home. So they are able to upgrade through the Directv technical center in our area. They say you must get this upgrade to keep your service over the next several months. The system must be upgraded or eventually you would lose service. So to get the upgrade you need to pay them $150, now, and then you will receive $40 a month off of you bill for 2yrs. They will do the upgrade, increasing the number of channels, the number of programs you can record, and improved picture and better sound quality. He told me told me my name, address, and the kind of the receivers we have. He was wrong about the receivers. He “checked” on it and told me I was correct and they all needed to be upgraded. I started asking questions. Like, why don’t they just take $40/month until $150 upgrade is paid. He said they do not own the channels and billing and technical could not be combined. I asked why this wasn’t sent in a letter or promoted on a message on Directv. He said it would be on Directv and I should have received a letter telling us to expect this call and explaining the situation.
I googled Is Directv upgrading their equipment, while he was talking. I found a couple of similar incidents. I asked him for a phone number and told him I would call him back after I called and asked Directv if this was a scam. He assured me it wasn’t a scam and he gave me a phone number. I googled the phone number he gave me. It is in NJ. I called Directv
Accepted Solution
Official Solution
Juniper
ACE - Expert
•
22.5K Messages
4 years ago
That was absolutely a scam. DirecTV doesn't call you about upgrading equipment or with discounts, and certainly doesn't require an up-front payment to get a discount.
There is an influx of these type of scams right now. And they are not just because of the pandemic, but DirecTV is in the process of a complete shutdown of their MPEG-2 feeds so there are customers who legitimately need to get new equipment.
To discuss options to lower bill, or order an optional upgrade of equipment or a required MPEG swap to continue using service, you call DirecTV's official customer support number. However, I would suggest before doing so to post the models of each box you currently have so that experienced customers can give guidance on what may be best for your exact setup as some agents go overboard with options that may not be optimized for you personally.
0
0
rws_kls
New Member
4 years ago
This happened to me today 3/18/2021. Fell for it and gave CC info.
ATT confirmed scam. Now I have to wait a week to get new CC.
0
0
shannon02
ACE - Expert
•
20.8K Messages
4 years ago
DTV sent these to all receivers in late 2020.
0
0
rws_kls
New Member
4 years ago
I missed those messages and would have normally caught it. I did question for an hour + and they had way too much info and/or good guesses.
I had cataract surgery Monday and was not on the top of my game.
Lesson learned, immediately called AT&T and then bank before any charges.
0
0
tscanlan22
New Member
•
1 Message
3 years ago
I had the same experience today (10-26-21). All sounded very legit. Unplug TV, wait a few minutes. OK, plug it back in. Now press reset on receiver box. Etc., etc. I will get a $30 discount from my bill for four years. They even knew the amt. of my current regular bill from ATT/Direct TV. Oh, yeah, there's an upfront charge of $380. I refused to give credit card number on phone. Oh, it's safe. I asked if they would need my 3 digit code from back of card. Oh, yes. (not necessary in most cases). I asked why they couldn't bill me by mail? So he gave me an address in Pleasanton, CA. I checked and saw that Direct tV was located in a different city. These guys sound very convincing, know a bit about DirectTV systems, don't know how they got my bill but probably by hacking ATT or my ATT acct. I'm taking no action yet, wait and see if I hear back from 'them'. DON'T give credit card info on the phone unless you KNOW who's on the other end.
0
Juniper
ACE - Expert
•
22.5K Messages
3 years ago
If they call you, request CC or gift card info, or other personal info - HANG UP!
And remember DirecTV only has a single T in the name. Used to be common for scammers to use adding a T and/or space in the name to catch people unaware.
0
0
drlewis52
1 Message
5 months ago
I just now got a call with the same opening line. He asked and I told him I was watching tv but would not give him any information until I received an email, text, or check Directv website. Beware, they've restarted this scam.
0
Juniper
ACE - Expert
•
22.5K Messages
5 months ago
@drlewis52
Good caution. Though it is not restarted as they haven't stopped and probably will not until they find a scam they like better.
DirecTV doesn't call you, instead you call them. Anyone who considers changes to equipment, I suggest post in the forum first to get guidance from other customers as employees might prioritize upsell over what is the optimized setup.
0
0
ricknelson888
Visitor
•
1 Message
3 months ago
I am a DirecTV customer. My old receivers stopped working, and I upgraded to mpeg-4 receivers and got a new dish. Everyone will eventually have to do this.
0
0
Juniper
ACE - Expert
•
22.5K Messages
3 months ago
@ricknelson888
Yes those with MPEG-2 equipment must take advantage of DirecTV's complimentary MPEG swap or an optional upgrade. Should have been completed years ago (MPEG-2 phaseout hit stride in 2019), but has had delays.
However, DirecTV does not call you about that. You get official notice on the screen, bill insert, or email on file. You initiate the call to DirecTV at their publicly known numbers so that you know is all on the up and up.
This thread is about scammers calling customers pretending to be DirecTV. They use info from things like the real MPEG swap to make themselves sound more legitimate. If you would like to discuss the MPEG swap then please start a fresh thread instead of posting to one from a few years ago about crooks pretending to be DirecTV and running a scam.
0
0