Need some direction

[tsbrewers]

That's a bit different from what you described. This is a software scam. For just $199 I can talk you through a software fix. Yeah right!

I wasn't there of course, so I am only going off what she remembered. Mostly "upgrade and $200" But the fact she said she lost her signal still tells me it was from Dish themselves.

 

[RTCDude]

I wasn't there of course, so I am only going off what she remembered. Mostly "upgrade and $200" But the fact she said she lost her signal still tells me it was from Dish themselves.

Can a third party get Dish to cut off the signal?

 

[tjboston5676]

Sequence was: I balked, told him about the other agreement, he called in, and was told I was right (phone was pretty loud) and he was instructed how to swap in the appropriate form on his phone before I signed.

So, it seemed legit.

Can a third party get Dish to cut off the signal?

My guess is that they may have the ability to be an account on pause, like for when you're doing construction, or away for a few months or whatever other reasons. But using it to scare customers is wrong. But again I'm just guessing, I'm not sure on what tools they have access to.

 

[Strega]

I wasn't there of course, so I am only going off what she remembered. Mostly "upgrade and $200" But the fact she said she lost her signal still tells me it was from Dish themselves.

The morning I was waiting for my Hopper to arrive, my satellite went out and I got the programming not authorized message. I initially thought: Oh – I guess they're a bit early on that? But then I remembered I had seen that message randomly appear about 3 other times over the last decade or so, so I just waited. And everything came back. So, it might have been related to the changeover, or maybe just a random glitch that took on more importance in my mind since I knew Dish was coming. I wonder if your mom perhaps saw something random that seemed related?

I do IT for my parents, and my neighbors, and my parents' neighbors… and my experience is that the issue I end up working on is almost never what I expect because people have such "interesting" and "unusual" ways of describing what they saw. Lately my mom likes: "they won't let me!" and I finally got her to explain that "they" refers to the people in her computer.

 

[dishdude]

Nothing about this thread make sense to me.

 

[tsbrewers]

Just an update, hope this all makes sense.

I am at my mom's this weekend and my aunt (who lives next door) also got the same call from "Dish", but she doesn't actually have dish anymore. My Mom said they told her she needed to pay the $200 or they would shut it off. My Mom said she wasn't going to pay it, so they logged in to her account and paused her service. They gave her 2 phone numbers to call them back if she wanted it turned back on. She said she was going to call the 1-800 number on the TV and they said, "No, that is an old number that doesn't work anymore, you need to call these 2 numbers"

When she did call the 800 number (Actually Dish) that person said her account was paused.

SO, my understanding is that these scammer people did have her account info, and they logged in and paused her account, trying to get her to call them back and pay the $200. Instead she called Dish and they told her that she paused her account. Then Dish just un-paused it for her. Obviously we did go in and changed her password, not sure if there is much else we should do. So it really does sound like that scam I posted earlier.

It is one of our biggest fears is her getting scammed. We are constantly reminding her to be careful like this, so we are kinda proud that she didn't give them her CC info.

 

[Bruce]

Just an update, hope this all makes sense.

I am at my mom's this weekend and my aunt (who lives next door) also got the same call from "Dish", but she doesn't actually have dish anymore. My Mom said they told her she needed to pay the $200 or they would shut it off. My Mom said she wasn't going to pay it, so they logged in to her account and paused her service.

SO, my understanding is that these scammer people did have her account info, and they logged in and paused her account, trying to get her to call them back and pay the $200.

I am reading more and more scam activity with Dish, is it possible that more info was stolen from Dish last year when they were hacked, more then they revealed.

How else could these scammers know this lady's account information and all the other stories I have read about others?

If so, I recommend everyone changing your passwords with Dish, start watching your cards also.

 

[Strega]

As I read your latest description, it reminded me of some similar-sounding posts in Comcast/Xfinity forums. There are also scam posts in Roku forums, though they tend to follow different patterns. I'm not saying these are any more scammed than other places – they're just places I happen to monitor.

I saw a TV show about scammers a while back. It said that many international phone scammers get their training as legit CSRs in outsourced call centers. There they learn to speak better English and how to lie to customers. (ie: using a weather app to say things like: Wow it's really wet today, isn't it?)

But then many of them learn that their customers have lots of money (compared to them!) and they can get some of it. Some of them leave the call centers, but some stay or at least keep contacts there. Things go on like: you call with a problem. They say they'll need to call you back. The call back, but now they're on a disposable mobile phone which isn't monitored. Others just maintain contacts there to get account info. An interviewed (masked) scammer said that people who phone into the customer support often, are lonely people who are more scamable. So he pays for their info.

Of course, these things can happen in US call centers too but the show claimed those are typically better-policed and the income/wealth disparities between US customers and the CSRs aren't nearly as high.

I had to call customer support at a bank last month. It sounded like India too. That made me nervous.

 

[tjboston5676]

I am reading more and more scam activity with Dish, is it possible that more info was stolen from Dish last year when they were hacked, more then they revealed.

How else could these scammers know this lady's account information and all the other stories I have read about others?

If so, I recommend everyone changing your passwords with Dish, start watching your cards also.

They know because like I mentioned earlier they are third party sales using dirty sales tactics. How they even become sales partners is beyond me.

 

[Bruce]

They know because like I mentioned earlier they are third party sales using dirty sales tactics. How they even become sales partners is beyond me.

That is even worse, scammers/hackers are expected to do those things, but dealers, who have access to customer's info, doing this, because sales are hard to make right now.

How much access do they have, is it just to customers they have sold, or is it to all of Dish's current and former subscribers?

 

[dishdude]

I am reading more and more scam activity with Dish, is it possible that more info was stolen from Dish last year when they were hacked, more then they revealed.

How else could these scammers know this lady's account information and all the other stories I have read about others?

If so, I recommend everyone changing your passwords with Dish, start watching your cards also.

I was thinking something similar.

 

[sktrus]

these scammer people did have her account info, and they logged in and paused her account, trying to get her to call them back and pay the $200.

Thank you for sharing this. You confirmed my belief that passwords we use for important accounts should be changed every quarter!.
I stubbornly do that and remind my wife who doesn't. It has to be a habit. Crooks are always a step ahead.

 

[Bruce]

Thank you for sharing this. You confirmed my belief that passwords we use for important accounts should be changed every quarter!.
I stubbornly do that and remind my wife who doesn't. It has to be a habit. Crooks are always a step ahead.

I have two step for everything that uses it.

Banks, Investment Accounts, Credit Card, Amazon, etc.

Even Spectrum/Charter and Comcast ( used it back in 2017-2020) has it, amazed that Dish does not, if it does, activate it now, because these scammer stories are increasing, go look at Reddit for example.

Two step is not perfect, but better then just a password.

 

[tjboston5676]

That is even worse, scammers/hackers are expected to do those things, but dealers, who have access to customer's info, doing this, because sales are hard to make right now.

How much access do they have, is it just to customers they have sold, or is it to all of Dish's current and former subscribers?

I don't have a clue how much access they have. But I've been to peoples houses in same situations or they googled dish and a number to a third party pops up and they get that way too.

Another member, commented about passwords online. That's definitely a possibility too. Because if you can login to the account on the website you can see the account number, and I even believe name, address and phone number, and have ability to pause or even setup work orders via chat if they somehow have the four digit security code, which sometimes with some arguing csr will just bypass anyways.

Regardless whether it was just a scammer or a third party sales partner, it's wrong. And just remember dish will never call you telling you you're about to be shutoff or ask for money.

 

[BarryO]

I never answer calls from a number I don't recognize. I don't understand why anyone does. If it's something important, they'll leave a voicemail. Usually, it's a spam call.

 

[navychop]

But you might miss a call from that prince in Nigeria!