I am writing this article to alert you on this fraud thats going on. Few months back, I signed up for Dish Network. You get much better deals on the web ( free install , DVR, multiroom system, cash back and what not) and so I signed up for my Dish Network account from the web. All these offers are possible because of 2 reasons. One : Dish Network has a great commission plan … where for every signup these agents get more than $200 .. around $300 per account signup.

And reason two : read on ….

So my installation was scheduled to happen 5 days from the day I signed up. 3 days after I signed up, I got a phone call at my home number. The guy said “I am calling from Dish Network Account validation team”. He asked me what package I signed up for. First of all … I found this question stupid. He should be having the details with him but still I thought maybe he is verifying whether I am the account holder. I told him the package name and then he addressed me by my name and asked me my home address. I told him I cannot give him my address .. rather he should have it on file and asked him why was he calling me. He told me that it seems my social security number validation did not go through right and so they cannot install the service. So if I am still interested I have to re-apply through him and he can set it up for me.

Now I was concerned about my social security number not working. But I was no way giving him the complete details of my social and my credit card and address !! So I asked him to tell me what number he has on file .. so that I can crosscheck it and let him know if they have the right number. He told me he does not have access to all my details and as he is in the re-activation department (or something like that) he can only re-apply for me. Now this was somewhat fishy. I told him that there was no way I was giving him my social and asked him for a number I can call. He told me he is almost done with his shift and so there is no point in giving me the number. So I told him to call me the next day. He hung up.

I immediately called Dish Network and they told me that my account was perfectly fine and the installation was scheduled. They never call people like that. I asked them if they could do anything about the call .. they simply said Sorry.. even the supervisor was not concerned that someone was making the calls using Dish Network’s name.

I was shocked how this trap would work so easily on most people. I somehow think that the website (they are a company based in New York), in addition to getting the commision from Dish Network, also sells the database. Or atleast someone leaks the data. And maybe just the name and the phone number. My number is not found in the telephone directory and thats why this guy did not know my address. I called SBC to find out if they could track the number … they said they could do it only if I file a police complaint and it was a lengthy process. Finally I gave up. But when I think of the whole episode, I am shocked to find that there is a well setup network of people who steal/ get the data , call unsuspecting new customers, get their details and misuse them. Who will go after them ? I tried a little bit but I did not find any of the companies involved interested. So I thought I should write up this and warn you guys to be careful of such scamsters. Never give out any detail when you are called. Ask them for a number and call them back at the company’s tollfree number.

And so, this is the second reason why I think such great dishnetwork deals are possible !!