NUNEZ, KATC - It’s a situation that can happen to anyone, scammers asking for personal information pretending to represent a large corporation or company.
Earlier this week, Nunez Resident Randy said an unmarked red car pulled into his driveway, and a man with a clipboard came out claiming to be a DIRECT-TV employee. He said he asked to see Randy’s bill and asked for his personal information.
“He said he was with DIRECT-TV and he was having a lot of problems with customers in the area that were complaining about the price being too high with DIRECT-TV. He said he was going around to the DIRECT-TV customers and finding out what he can do to solve the problem or help the problem. He asked me for one of my bills and I declined to give him that,” he said.
Randy later told KATC that the man had no information about his account or name. When he called DIRECT-TV they confirmed they did not send anyone out to his property.
With the rise in new technology, scammers have come up with new strategies to target their victims. Randy describes this incident as a close call, he says he fell victim to a $2,500 scam months prior.
“I’ve always said they can never scam me and said I don’t know how people fall for it but I’ve been scammed,” he said.
While the elderly and the vulnerable may fall victim to scammers, Vermilion Parish sheriff Eddie Langlinais says anyone can be a target.
“Whenever somebody is walking, trying to peddle, trying to sell you stuff from door to door, it’s required for them to have a peddlers license, which they pick up at the sheriff’s office. If they go to your home, you can ask them to see their peddlers license just to see if it’s legitimate or not. If they can’t produce it, chances are it could be a scam,” Langlinais said.
Vermilion Parish requires peddlers to have an active permit.
Randy posted his encounter on Facebook and it garnered a lot of comments from residents across the parish sharing their past experiences. Some of the comments said the same man in the red car approached their home but this time, pretending to be a Dish employee.
As for Randy, he’s grateful he’s able to share his story with others before it’s too late.
“I just want to make people aware of the situation because no one wants this to happen to anybody. If I can make people aware of what happened and no one gets scammed or falls for this, then it’s a great thing,” he said.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
- It’s important to stay vigilant
- Always ask questions
- Ask for identification
- Avoid sharing personal information
- Report any suspicious encounter to 740-TIPS
