THE CITY REBORN FROM THE ASHES OF AMERICA'S MOST DISASTROUS FOREST FIRE
From Our Readers...
Issue Date: June 17, 2021
Dear Editor:
WARNING †THERE IS FRAUD IN THE AIR!
Midafternoon on Monday, June 7, 2021, I received a call from a kindly older man named Frank. Aware that I subscribed to DirecTV, he asked if I would be interested in a new promotion.
If I was willing to pay the premium for two years in advance, I would qualify for a fifty percent discount; my cost drops from one hundred dollars per month to fifty. I accepted the offer; the payment process was awkward. I had to purchase three hundred dollars in EBAY gift cards and call them with the numbers. I followed through and completed the transaction.
On Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from Kaz with ATT / DirecTV relating a massive computer meltdown with all the recent changes lost. In order to take advantage of the promotion, I would need to reregister, send the funds and call in with the numbers again. Recognizing my inconvenience, they committed to sending me my three hundred dollars and a two hundred dollar bonus for the hassle. I fell for the line, bought cards and called in the numbers. The EBAY cards cannot be traced.
On Wednesday, I realized that ATT / DirecTV and I had been swindled. Tom, a high power, high pressure rep stated they could not write five hundred dollar checks because of a shortage of the smaller denomination checks; so, they would send me a seventeen hundred dollar check, if I sent a six hundred dollar fee to cover half of the increase then EBAY will pay the other half of the increase.
An executive at ATT / DitecTV shared with me that imposters had manipulated their phone system to forward their calls to the swindle lines. In sharing this incident, my sister-in-law, Jeanne, stated profoundly, â€ÅThese scams always take advantage of the elderly. †If nothing else, I got a laugh †I think!