'800-531-5000' Scam

The '800-531-5000' scam is a tactic, which is running rampant in the United States. The individuals with questionable morals responsible for this tactic use a variety of social engineering techniques to trick the users into trusting them. They tell users that they have won a promotion for the DirecTV service. This means that they get once chance to subscribe for the service as a significantly lower price. It is crucial to note that the DirecTV service is legitimate and has nothing to do with the con artists behind the '800-531-5000' scam. To cover up any potential tracks, these shady individuals may require the payment to be completed with an iTunes Gift Card, Amazon Gift Card, and other similar alternative means. This should raise a red flag as no legitimate companies would require payment in the shape of gift cards immediately.

Researchers have not yet determined whether the '800-531-5000' phone number is one of the legitimate contacts for the DirecTV, which the fraudsters may have hijacked, or it is a completely unrelated phone number, which belongs to the creators of the tactic. The fact that these people use such an aggressive marketing technique should, similarly to the required payment method, raise a red flag.

The dodgy actors behind the '800-531-5000' scam are known to use various methods to convince users to pay up. Some of them include raffles, free trials, etc. Users have reported having been offered:

• New offers on TV and Internet, including a lowered bill, if the user pays them $360 in the shape of an Amazon Gift Card
• To pay $900 as an Amazon Gift Card, which would grant them only to pay $37.50 monthly DirecTV bill.
• To share all their credit card details (expiration date, number, and even CVV) with the con artists to 'verify' it.

There are two more phone numbers, which appear to be associated with the same fraudsters so that be very careful if you are being contacted by them - 800-880-9064 and 888-302-5632. It is likely that con artists behind the '800-531-5000' scam have more tricks in their bag so be ever vigilant when you are being offered new deals and subscriptions.