Is this a DIRECTV phone scam?

Yes and no, how can anyone stop someone anywhere in the world from calling/texting you? You would be surprised at the info anyone can buy about you or they may just be cold calling anyone knowing they will eventually hit someone with DTV.

Hey Shannon,

I wish you would stop spreading that lame excuse for AT&T regarding the private info of their customers.  

EVERY company has a ethical responsibility to protect ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION they have about their CUSTOMERS.  Unfortunately, THE GREED of the majority of US companies have them focused more on CONTROLLING CONSUMERS than PROTECTING them. ONLY A VERY FEW CORPORATIONS have set up proper measures to protect the PRIVACY of their customers.  IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PRIORITY SINCE DAY ONE. 

These scammers KNEW we were ATT and DIRECT TV customers and I believe had access to ATT’s system to find our account specifics.  THAT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBITY OF ATT TO PREVENT!! 

There are FOUR tragedies of the technology era of business in AMERICA and the loss of PERSONAL PRIVACY is at the TOP of that list.  The list of major companies that HAVE NOT EXPOSED personal data is smaller than those who have. And the fact that CONSUMERS just blindly accept it is SAD. Cant look to GOVERNMENT because NOBODY In Washington DC will take time for these issue for consumers because they are too focused on beating each other up and creating lies and schemes to get elected.  PROTECTING CONSUMERS IS ONE OF THE “REAL” RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR  FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!!  Again, its just a shame that NOBODY CARES!

AT&T took Direct TV and dismantled it in one year (from the best to the worst -just horrible customer service), while at the SAME TIME they started charging $1000 for new phones AND then violated A BASIC ETHICAL STANDARD of BILLING by adding an additional  $1.99 “UNDEFINED“, RANDOM CHARGE PER MONTH PER LINE.  Thats EVERY LINE THEY HAVE GIVING NO DEFINITION OF THE CHARGE!   ITS SHAMEFUL AND A DISGRACE....PERIOD!  

Maybe if AT&T would have spent SOME of the massive amount of dollars and time on PROTECTING THEIR CUSTOMERS as they did on on CREATING NEW WAYS and 3-year PLANS to SQUEEZE EVERY DIME possible out of their EXISTING customers.  MAYBE THIS WOULD NOT BE HAPPENING!

If WHAT I HAVE READ IS TRUE, AT&T IS JUST STANDING ON THE SIDELEINES DOING NOTHING.  HAS AT&T RELEASED A STATEMENT OF WARNING?  DOES AT&T HAVE A NUMBER WE CAN CALL TO FIND SOMEONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT THIS AND ACTUALLY CARES??  

Sorry, NOT SORRY because this is the TRUTH and thats ALL that matters in the end!  Lies and schemes HAVE GOT TO GO.  We ALL are already gonna pay A HEAVY PRICE ,but the linger this goes on, the bigger the businesses will fall.  How have we forgotten that ANYTHING BUILT ON LIES and schemes, eventually comes crashing down....and HARD!!!  

THIS STUFF IS ONLY ABOUT THE FUTURE OF AMERICA FOR OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN!!  NO BIGGIE, RIGHT?  

TO BEGIN TO CHANGE, WE MUST DEMAND TRUTH IN ALL THINGS AND HOLD BUSINESSES, POLITICS, and NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC. WE MUST DEMAND IT!

So what did DTV have to do with the hacking of yahoo, experian or any other company?  Your info is out there for anyone to buy.

I apologize.  Cant change the huge font... its kinda funny and also sad on my part...BUT....

YES. AT&T IS ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CUSTOMER INFORMATION IN THEIR SYSTEM!!   (NO COMMENTS ON THE UNDEFINED $1.99 CHARGE PER LINE?..hmm)

HOWEVER, AS INDICATED (AS OTHER POSTS INDICATED) IN MY INITIAL MESSAGE.
 

TO THE FACT THAT THIS SCAM “APPEARS” NEXT LEVEL AND IT WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL. I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THESE WERE NOT RANDOM CALLS, THEY KNEW I HAD BOTH ATT AND DIRECT TV AND AS OTHERS ALSO HAVE INDICATED, IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THEY HAD ACCESS TO SOME PART OF THE ATT SYSTEM BECAUSE OF DETAILS THEY COULD PULL UP ABOUT MY ACCOUNT. MAYBE THEY WERE JUST THAT GOOD AND I AM WRONG.

BUT MAY I POSE A FEW QUESTIONS?

-If ATT customers are trying to inform ATT this could be a breach,  WHO AT ATT DO WE CONTACT?

-DOES ANYONE AT ATT CARE?

IVE TRIED ON TWO PRIOR OCCASIONS TO REPORT FRAUD BUT I WASN’T ABLE TO LOCATE ANYONE AT ATT THAT HAS ANY CLUE OR  SHOWS ANY HINT OF CARING.

ITS “SO EASY” TO PASS THE BUCK OR PLACE BLAME ON NOBODY SPECIFIC, BUT THAT IS JUST WEAK AND QUITE FRANKLY, ITS AN INSULT TO YOUR CUSTOMERS.    

USUALLY THE “FEAR” OF BEING COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT STARTS IN THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT BECAUSE COMPANIES WANT TO “AVOID ANY HINT OF FINANCIAL LIABILITY”.   AND I GET THE LIABILITY ISSUE....

BUT THAT  DOESN'T MEAN ITS OK TO TOTALLY IGNORE THE ISSUE, ACT LIKE IT DOESNT EXIST, OR PLACE THE BLAME ELSEWHERE.  

SO MANY COMPANIES LIKE ATT ACT LIKE THIS TYPE OF FRAUD IS NOTHING, BUT, ITS REAL AND RAPIDLY GROWING INTO A HUGE PROBLEM FOR THE PUBLIC, ESPECIALLY THE ELDERLY THAT WE ALL SHOULD PROTECT.  SINCE BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES IN WASHINGTON DC ARE SO FOCUSED ON “THEMSELVES”,  THEY DONT EVEN SEE IT.  WHICH, AGAIN, IS JUST SAD.

BUT THERE WAS A TIME BACK IN THOSE “OLD DAYS” BEFORE TECHNO MUSIC (not funny, sorry) WHEN BUSINESS PEOPLE FELT AN  OBLIGATION TO SERVE THEIR CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNITY, NOT JUST FOR “SHOW”, BUT THERE WERE BUSINESSES THAT WOULD ACTUALLY STEP UP WHEN GOVERNMENT FAILED TO DO THE RIGHT THING.  

HOWEVER TODAY,  THE VAST MAJORITY OF BUSINESSES SEE EVERY SITUATION OR PROBLEM AS “A LIABILITY” OR EVEN WORSE, AS SOMETHING THEY CAN “TAKE ADVANTAGE OF” ...OR HOW THEY CAN “USE IT” TO “MAXIMIZE PROFITS”.

IM DREAMING NOW, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE (AND I THINK A DECENT LONG TERM INVESTMENT OF RESOURCES) IF EACH COMPANY WOULD AT LEAST HAVE A “REAL” and “INFORMED” FRAUD RESOURCE DEPT. FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS TO CONTACT INSTEAD OF THESE “ILLUSIONS” OF A FRAUD DEPARTMENTS “IN NAME ONLY” TO PROTECT THEIR BACK SIDE “BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO”.   

OR MAYBE AT LEAST HAVE SOMEONE THAT PRODUCES NOTICES TO THEIR CUSTOMERS OF ONGOING SCAMS LIKE THIS FOR THE............wait..........BENEFIT.......OF ........almost there......THE .........CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNITY AT LARGE??

SEE.... THAT WASN’T TOO DIFFICULT, WAS IT??  AND WHAT A NOVEL IDEA??!!

SADLY, CUSTOMER IS JUST ANOTHER WORD THAT IS QUICKLY VANISHING FROM THE US BUSINESS WORLD.  

WHY?  MAYBE ITS BECAUSE CUSTOMERS CAN BE A PAIN IN THE (Edited as per community guidelines), RIGHT?  

NOT SO FAST.. LAST I CHECKED, CUSTOMERS STILL PAY FOR EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEES SALARY,  INCLUDING THOSE BIG BONUSES FOR THOSE EXECUTIVES.

And IN REALITY, WHEN A COMPANY IS DEDICATED TO DOING THINGS “RIGHT” AND IS OPENLY TRANSPARENT, I THINK YOU WILL FIND THE VAST MAJORITY OF CUSTOMERS ARE VERY REASONABLE AND MUCH MORE UNDERSTANDING THAN JUST BEING A PAIN...

PLUS (IF A COMPANY ACTUALLY CARES),  CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS CAN ACTUALLY HELP IDENTIFY ISSUES BEFORE UPPER MANAGEMENT IS AWARE OF THEM SO THEY CAN BE ADDRESSED EARLIER. 

BUT ATT , LIKE SO MANY OTHER LARGE COMPANIES DON’T PLACE IMPORTANCE  ON DOING THE RIGHT THING. LIKE SO MANY OTHER LARGE COMPANIES, THEY HAVE BECOME SO FIXATED ON PROFITS, I QUESTION IF THEY EVEN KNOW “HOW” TO DO THINGS RIGHT ANYMORE. WHICH IS VERY SAD OF COURSE

SINCE MOST EXECUTIVES AT LARGE COMPANIES HAVE NO VISION, LACK CREATIVITY,  PROVE NOT TO BE VERY SMART,   AND THEIR ONLY TALENT IS JUSTIFYING WHY THEY SHOULD GET PAID WHAT THEY DO...

THEY ALL JUST TEND TO  “FOLLOW THE CROWD” .......LIKE A 6TH GRADER WOULD FOLLOW THEIR FELLOW STUDENTS.  AND THEY ADOPT AN “ATTITUDE“ LIKE ...

“IF THEY ARE DOING IT AND ITS OK,  THEN WE CAN DO IT TOO, RIGHT?!!   UhHuh great strategy.

(FYI- THATS HOW THE $1.99 PER LINE UNETHICAL FEE GOT STARTED!!)

SO WHAT IM TRYING TO SAY IS THAT JUST BECAUSE MOST COMPANIES ADD UNETHICAL CHARGES IN THEIR BILL, HAVE RIGGED THEIR CALL CENTERS TO REPORT NUMBERS THAT DO NOT ACCURATELY REFLECT REALITY, OR MADE THE DECISION TO COMPLETELY ABANDON ANY ATTEMPT AT CUSTOMER SERVICE,  THAT DOES NOT MEAN ITS WHAT IS BEST AND ITS STILL NOT RIGHT.  (I DO BELIEVE  IT WILL EVENTUALLY COST THOSE COMPANIES WHO MAKE THOSE TYPE DECISIONS ALOT MORE THAN THEY REALIZE IN THE LONG RUN...BUT THATS JUST MY UNEDUCATED GUESS!

I WILL CLOSE WITH THIS..

DO YOU WANT THINGS TO GET BETTER?  ITS NOT COMING FROM GOVERNMENT AND IT ISNT ABOUT POWER, A CAUSE, or CONTROL.

IT ALL STARTS WITH TRUTH AND BEING TRANSPARENT IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE.  WHICH IS REALLY ONLY PEOPLE BEING REAL WITH ONE ANOTHER.... I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS SO DIFFICULT?  

I KNOW IF WE JUST BE HONEST WITH EACH OTHER, WE WOULD BE MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE, HAVE FEWER PROBLEMS, AND IT WOULD ELIMINATE MANY OF OUR HEADACHES.

Just some random thoughts from an average, clueless customer.

Moreover, I believe OP wanted to know if the phone # was in fact a recognized ATT/Directv #, and this forum seems to be an obvious source of info for that request. I literally just got off the phone with myATT customer service and asked a similar question. They stated that if the number is not a "recognizable number" (meaning if I didn't know it was from ATT/ Directv then it is most likely a scam.) Yeah you heard that right.. amazing answers from myATT customer service. I have to drink a couple glasses before I speak with these people or else I frickin lose it... Godspeed. 

A.  It's a scam.  They will ask you to buy gift cards to pay for the discount.

B.  The number is not a valid DirecTV phone number.  It would be interesting for someone to return the call and mess with the scammers.

C.  There is really no way to stop them since many times they are generated in another country.

NOTE: Anyone you did NOT Call first -offering Gifts or Problems with any accounts --First rule --it's a Fishing Scam 

Your best chance to stop the calls is to quit answering them. Every time you answer, you just let the robot dealer know it has a valid number which leads to more calls.

866-885-3850 and 844-282-1012 are also scam phone numbers.

When in doubt, google and YOU INITIATE the call to the number listed on the company's official website.  After getting this bogus phone call, I called and spoke to the REAL DirecTV 1-800-DIRECTV (347-3288), they advised me that they NEVER call customers to offer discounts.

If you call back some random number, they will ask you for your acct# and last 4# of your SS# and then you'll be in a big mess.

Scammers are getting more and more clever.  You have to be 10 steps ahead...

Hi @jsrusco, thank you for bringing that to our attention. 
Help us by reporting the possible fraud scenarios by clicking here.

Keep working to improve our customer's security.

Daniel, DIRECTV Community Specialist.