OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – When Matt Gokey received a call from someone claiming to be with DirecTV he was sure it was the real deal.
The number on his phone screen matched the number he knew in dealing with the satellite TV provider; after all, he was already a customer.
His fiancée said it was a well-played con game that cost the couple $300.
“They offered him a lower bill and movie channels if we paid five months in advance,” Christina Dolan told News 6. “They knew our personal information including our home address. They instructed him to purchase a $300 Amazon gift card and to call Direct TV back with the promo code they gave him.”
Dolan’s gut told her “it sounded too good to be true” but when Gokey called the number back they assured him this was a “legitimate” offer.
It wasn’t.
The couple handed over $300 only to learn later through DirecTV that the scam has been running for some time.
In a statement to WKMG-TV News 6, the company writes:
“AT&T-DIRECTV does not solicit its customers for prepayments. If a customer feels a call is not legitimate, we encourage them to hang up and call back using the number on their AT&T DIRECTV bill. We monitor our network for potential fraud activity and provide information about fraud scams on our website."
Dolan is upset because with a baby on the way, they need the money.
“Not only are we out $300 during the holidays with two existing children and a baby due in February," she writes, "there's also a group of people out there targeting other victims and has access to personal information. Very upsetting and scary honestly. Please help spread the word to prevent this from happening to other innocent customers.”
For more information on current fraud alerts with ATT-DirecTV go to: www.att.com/att/fraud/en/index.html.