Fraud case a clue to why Dish cut ties with retailers

[Scott Greczkowski]

Fraud case a clue to why Dish cut ties with retailers
By Jeff Smith
Rocky Mountain News

Dish Network hasn't disclosed the details of why it has terminated relationships with a couple of dozen retailers of late, but a recently resolved case provides a glimpse of the problem.

Joseph Masek, operator of Satellites & More in Santa Ana, Calif., was sentenced in August to 33 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $633,000 of restitution to Dish for falsifying customer account information as a way to illegally obtain commissions and equipment from Dish.

Dish, then called EchoStar, got suspicious when an installation representative reported in June 2005 receiving back 37 programming cards that couldn't be delivered by United Parcel Service.

The cards, issued by Dish, communicate with a set-top box and descramble signals so a subscriber can view the program package he or she signed up for.

Dish found that the cards matched the names of customers of Satellites & More, but the addresses and phone numbers were invalid or nonexistent.

Read the rest at Fraud case a clue to why Dish cut ties with retailers : Tech & Telecom : The Rocky Mountain News

 

[8bitbytes]

...Dish, then called EchoStar, got suspicious when an installation representative reported in June 2005 receiving back 37 programming cards that couldn't be delivered by United Parcel Service.

The cards, issued by Dish, communicate with a set-top box and descramble signals so a subscriber can view the program package he or she signed up for.

Dish found that the cards matched the names of customers of Satellites & More, but the addresses and phone numbers were invalid or nonexistent.

Oopsy!

Apparently, the new cards do more than update the encryption scheme!

 

[digiblur]

Ok.... I will bite..what else do you think they do?

 

[HDRoberts]

Ok.... I will bite..what else do you think they do?

When they arrive at the fake addresses set up by retailers and get returned, they can put 2 and 2 together and figure out who is screwing them.

 

[jayn_j]

When they arrive at the fake addresses set up by retailers and get returned, they can put 2 and 2 together and figure out who is screwing them.

Yep, a lot more effective than keeping track of the new customers WHO NEVER PAY THEIR BILL

 

[Stargazer]

Seems like it is caught up to some people. When people do bad things it catches up with them eventually.

 

[8bitbytes]

When they arrive at the fake addresses set up by retailers and get returned, they can put 2 and 2 together and figure out who is screwing them.

Bingo!



It's called lazy accounting.

 

[digiblur]

They don't need to swap everyone's smart card to do that though.

 

[8bitbytes]

They don't need to swap everyone's smart card to do that though.

No, they don't need to but it sure does throw a spotlight on something you would think they were supposed to be already tracking.

 

[Slamminc11]

Keep it up Dish! Go get 'em!!!!! :up :up :up