Dish Network Customers Targeted by Scammers

It was a few months ago that I got a phone call from my grandfather asking me if I was actually in jail.

Well, no I wasn't and no, I've never been arrested.  Apparently, some scammers got their hands on my grandpa's name and phone number and the fact that I was his grandson and called...as ME...to say I needed bailed out of jail.  He was completely tricked and said it took several minutes for him to decide that he wasn't going to give his credit card number over the phone.

These kinds of scams happen all of the time. While working at a hotel through my college years, I learned how creative phone-call scammers can be and now, it has been reported that scammers are targeting customers of Dish Network right here in the Treasure Valley.

In a recent article from KTVB (you can see the story of an Emmett man who received one of these calls here), light has been shed on efforts to get a credit card number given over the phone for a "security deposit" that could risk the loss of service.

Scammers are willing to get as creative as they need to be in order to seem believable. The Better Business Bureau here in Boise, which belongs to the Northwest BBB Division, is always willing to help and answer any questions you may have about questionable phone calls.

In fact, by clicking HERE, you can see an interactive map of the entire country and the scams being tracked from coast to coast. You can even report a scam yourself.

When in doubt, hang up and dial a trusted customer service line and take the issue from there--you never know who could be calling YOU for your information.