PVE police alert satellite television customers about con
My colleague Stephanie Walton received this one from the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department:
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH SAFETY ALERT: Please be aware of a scam happening in the South Bay as follows:
Someone calls Dish owners regarding Direct TV saying they are from the Dish company. The caller tells you that your present system will not work for digital TV. The caller says they will need a credit card number to set you up with a new account and arrange to deliver the "new" equipment needed to convert to digital. It is a hoax!
Direct TV knows nothing about this activity. The present equipment Dish provides will receive the new signals. Direct TV is conducting an investigation on this illegal activity of phone calls.
The red flag to this scam was the callers' insistence on requesting a social security number to set up the account. (It is against the law to ask/insist on anyone's social security number).
They also insisted on two months advance payment. It is unknown how the callers are selecting people to call. Once again, never give your personal information, bank information, or credit card information to anyone over the phone.
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Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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You know there is something like this going on with pay pal. I have gotten several emails from "pay pal" saying that in order to keep my account active they need to update my bank and credit card information. And when I call Pay Pal they are unaware of the situation. I think its the person's responsibility to take caution before giving out their personal information, bank account number, and or credit card. This has become so common that people need to think twice before they share information with strangers.