Satellite PPV Issue

[AMISLANDER]

I've been a satellite custome with (I can't remember which one, I'd really have to look) one or the other, DISHTV or DIRECTV since last July 2007.

I have had the same phone bill for 12 months.

I received a bill in October that contained over $150 in Pay-per-view Porn movie charges. I immediately called them and told them I did not order this. I asked them to look at my monthly bill and notice how I have not even ever ordered a pay-per-view movie. They would not take off those charges so I cancelled my service. I had already paid my bill just not those charges. I explicity told them that I had some identity theft on my cc's as well.

They would not take those PPV charges off so I told them to cancel my service. I called my credit card companies, explained the situation, they looked into it and cancelled a couple of charges that were suspicious. The satellite company has been calling me but I have not returned the calls. I have sent the equipment back as they instructed. Being a few years out of bankruptcy and in accordence with the state of the economy, I've already told them how I feel about being charged for services I haven't used.

A couple of charges that were billed were from my cc's paying a few times for the PPV. My cc companies sided with me and absolved me from paying for those charges due to my past record with them.

Should I be worried about any damage to my credit at this time? I've already given them a piece of my mind.

[magyar123]

Do you live in a house or apartment complex? If in your own house and there's a dish intalled on the roof some electronics geek neighbor might hook his/her wiring into yours. If in an apartment complex with one community dish the signal of PPV movies might accidentally go from your wires into his/hers.
This is more or less a technical/electronic issue.

[justbroke]

Do you live in a house or apartment complex? If in your own house and there's a dish intalled on the roof some electronics geek neighbor might hook his/her wiring into yours. If in an apartment complex with one community dish the signal of PPV movies might accidentally go from your wires into his/hers.
This is more or less a technical/electronic issue.

I don't know how that could happen, as the data from a PPV is stored on a smart card and associated with a particular box. This has nothing to do with the dish... and much more to do with the satellite receiver (box).

But then again, I'm not a hacker... so... my rudimentary understanding of how the satellite system works suggests that it's not possible.

[ready2puke]

who elses lives with you anyone? If not doesnt make any sense to me either since it goes straight to you tv....very weird..

[robivi3]

Could anyone have cloned your card?

[justbroke]

Could anyone have cloned your card?

Now that I would believe could cause issues.

However, being the "low tech" guy that I am... it would be easier to just get a CARD/Receiver assigned on their account.

[Willy13]

I have used Dish and DTV in the past and if memory serves me correct, there are two ways to buy PPV. The first is you buy on screen which logs the purchase on the smart card and it stays there until the box calls home and uploads the record of the purchase. You then get a bill for it. The other way is you can call in the purchase by phone and after you pay, they authorize the PPV on your box. Both ways would require spoofing your phone number as I believe the satellite providers use this for verification. I think they would also have to have a clone of your system for all this to complete to where it would bill your account. Are you sure someone didn't use your equipment without your knowledge?

[justbroke]

It's very easy to spoof a phone number. However, DIRECTV only uses ANI (Automatic Number Identifier, which is much better and a little more impermeable than Caller ID) to validate that your service is in North America. This is a secondary defense against foreign subscribers, but I've had (and still have) boxes that have never "phoned" home.

When a box does phone home, it is the Box's serial number and the serial number of the smart card, which traces it back to a particular account.

The other low tech way to have a box on someone else's account, is that they threw it away (or otherwise misplaced it), someone found it, and it's still tied to the original account.

I love the low-tech ways to defeat a high-tech system.

[WhatMoney]

Are you sure you are not suffering from a split-personality disorder, and AMIslander-2 just happens to like porn movies?

[Willy13]

The other low tech way to have a box on someone else's account, is that they threw it away (or otherwise misplaced it), someone found it, and it's still tied to the original account.

I love the low-tech ways to defeat a high-tech system.

That's funny that people misplace boxes but I believe it. I have two boxes a guy gave me after he cancelled his account but at least he made sure he cancelled his account first. I ran my Directv without it phoning home also of course I never used PPV so it didn't matter. I did authorize a second receiver and they were suppose to use the phone line to verify that you kept that second receiver in your house and not split a bill with a neighbor etc. I think they allowed people to run without a phone line but in those cases they would disable purchasing PPV on screen and then you would have to call in PPV purchases. RV users fell into this category I think. I don't think Directv ever complained when I didn't have my phone connected but Dish Network used to nag you on screen. It's been a while since I used either so I'm not sure how it is now.

[AMISLANDER]

Do you live in a house or apartment complex? If in your own house and there's a dish intalled on the roof some electronics geek neighbor might hook his/her wiring into yours. If in an apartment complex with one community dish the signal of PPV movies might accidentally go from your wires into his/hers.
This is more or less a technical/electronic issue.

I live in a house that is divided up into four units...the other three have Comcast cable, which I have now, switched back to...

[AMISLANDER]

who elses lives with you anyone? If not doesnt make any sense to me either since it goes straight to you tv....very weird..

live alone.

[AMISLANDER]

Are you sure you are not suffering from a split-personality disorder, and AMIslander-2 just happens to like porn movies?

Ha ha!!!! My porn would be on DVD, not PPV....you could own the better porn with the prices charged for PPV porn...

Well, funny thing is, I switched to cable back on Oct. 27th. Believe it or not, had cable put in during a.m., went to work afterwards, got a bill in a week and lo & behold, there were porn charges on my bill...I was like, WTF? I called comcast & they removed them immediately and said it sometimes happens with the boxes being switched around....

[AMISLANDER]

I just wonder if this will really affect my credit standing...which of course is mid range at this point after the bk in 2006...

[FLBK7]

I just wonder if this will really affect my credit standing...which of course is mid range at this point after the bk in 2006...

I had a similar situation with Comcast Cable before I filed, and we kept haggling back and forth over a measly $90 charge for PPV that we had not incurred (never used PPV, period). Just before filing my chapter 7 Comcast sent the $90 account to collections! I included both Comcast and the collections agency (Arrow Financial Services) in my list of creditors, but I had a very hard time getting Arrow to report correctly on the credit reports.

How much do you owe? Since you are post discharge you need to be careful, lest the unpaid balance ends up on your CR and lowers your score.