July 26th, 2014
DENVER — A new scam that may have already ensnared hundreds of Comcast customers in the Denver area is gaining the attention of security experts.
9NEWS in Denver and Comcast are warning that the offer is not legitimate, and if you fall for it, you’ll never see the money again.
It begins with a call from a very knowledgeable thief, who knows how long you’ve been with Comcast, the services you have with them and how much your monthly bill is. They may not have all the information correct, but they will be close enough to draw you in.
Then, they offer a new promotion, telling you if you pay $600 up front, you will not get a bill at all for the following six months, and then for six months beyond that period, your bill will be only $99 a month.
That all sounds fairly legitimate, but the key is how they want you to pay. They want you to use a Green Dot Money-Pak, a cash card. Once you purchase the card and provide the pin number, the scam is complete, and the thieves pocket all your cash.
Those who have already been victimized say the pitch seems very real. The thieves provide an employee number, a Comcast rewards confirmation number, and if you call the phone number they provide, it will even as answer with “you have reached the Comcast Infinity rewards program.” It all sounds very legitimate.
In the end, Comcast customers receive a cut-off notice after failing to pay their actual bill.
Comcast issued a statement expressing its concerns about the hardships the bogus offers are creating for its customers:
“We are aware of the Greendot Moneypak scam in which victims receive an email, or call offering them a promotional package for Comcast services. The call, or email, advises the victim to pay an upfront fee using a Greendot Moneypak. While Comcast accepts Greendot as one form of payment, under no circumstances would it be required in advance for services.
We encourage customers to confirm promotional emails or calls that appear to be from Comcast by verifying the offer information on the company’s official website www.comcast.com or by calling 1-800-COMCAST (266-2278).”
Categories: DISH & TV news