8556864873

I got this call today (3/3/2021), don't fall for it, it was a fella with a very strong accent from india but with a name of Franklin Smith. Same details, then wanted my card number for the mandatory deposit of 190.00 which would be refunded in 90 days. I refused and hung up, no issues with the tv. i then called direct tv to report this and they said it was definately a scam. The fake name and wanted your card number information should warn you this is a scam.

My elderly mother got scammed by a man claiming to be Max Williams who said he was from Direct TV (855-686-4873, Ext. 212). He told her they installed new satellites that would not drop her signal in rain and/or bad weather but they needed to upgrade her satellite receiver so it could connect to the new satellite. He said they needed to charge a one time upgrade fee of $225 but that she would get the full fee refunded in 6 months so long as she kept her service. In addition he was going to discount her monthly bill by $20 per month for the next 2 years.

He knew EVERYTHING about her ATT/Direct TV bill. He knew her name, address, monthly bill amount, number of receivers she had, and the plan details for services she had. He told her if she gave him her credit card information, along with the 3-digit security code on the back of her card, that he would do the upgrade right away. She questioned him about the necessity of the upgrade, and told him she didn't care to have it but he told her she would lose connection to her TV service in 2 days if she didn't do the upgrade today. She told him she wanted to hang up and call Direct TV herself to inquire about his claim but he reassured her and then INSISTED that this was legit and told her to write down his phone number and extension which he gave as 855-686-4873, Ext. 212. In fact, he insisted that she write it down for peace of mind. He told her the charge would show up on her credit card as Direct TV update and to be sure to look out for it. She agreed and gave him her credit card info. Then he told her to turn off her TV (so she wouldn't know nothing was actually happening), not the receiver, and he had her wait about 10 minutes and then turn her TV back on. Immediately after their phone call she called back the number he had given her (which sounded just like Direct TV when you call them) but she was unable to reach anyone or to do anything but a voice message so she figured it must be legit.

Two weeks later I was going through her bank statement I questioned her on a $225 charge that came up as 'DIRECT UPDATE' and she told me about the deal and the call. I immediately looked up 'Direct Update 855-686-4873) and that is when I found LOTS of information indicating this was a scam. I then called her ATT/Direct TV customer service and they confirmed that no changes had been made to her account or her services. Then I called her bank, cancelled her credit card, and here I am trying to warn others. She was cautious and she still fell for it because he sounded SO convincing and he had all of her relevant information to make her believe he was legit. This scam has been going on for a couple of years now! ATT / Direct TV should be pro-active and should warn their customers about this SCAM via a message on the ATT/Direct TV bill or by email. Makes me wonder if Direct TV had some sort of breach with their customers data and information that these scammers are using to victimize consumers. ATT/Direct TV customer services didn't seem too concerned that their customers are being victimized. Shame on the scammers and on Direct TV for not doing more to try to protect their customers.

Pretending to be direct tv and saying they moved the satellite and needed to upgrade my receiver. It was a mandatory 199.00 deposit. They had inside information and knew exactly what my bill was and how many receivers I had. They gave me two hours to pay for the upgrade or my tv wouldn’t work. I called direct and found this was a scam.