Who is Spectrum and why are they calling me? Well-known scam now in Washington market
A robocall scam that has been reported by various Midwest and East Coast media is also happening in Washington state.
On March 13, a News Tribune reporter received a call purporting to be from an entity identifying as “Spectrum” and stating a 50 percent discount had been applied to a “monthly bill,” despite the reporter not being a Spectrum client.
The voicemail noted the offer was “expiring today” and encouraged a callback to a different number to “keep this offer active.”
A Google search revealed that multiple entities, from TV stations in affected markets to the Federal Trade Commission to the real Spectrum itself, have declared such calls a scam. Callbacks generally result in a request for some type of “prepayment,” using gift cards, or financial information tied to actual Spectrum customers’ accounts.
One popular Google search, “Who is Spectrum and why are they calling me,” contains multiple warnings about the “50 percent off” offer.
Despite the warnings, evidence posted online by people taken in by the calls shows the scam is tricking some into giving up personal information and even paying out.
The real Spectrum is the operating brand of Charter Communications, which provides residential internet-cable services in many states, including Washington, according to its website.
Given the company’s reach, the scammers behind the calls assume there’s a chance those on their phone list already have an existing account, making the calls that much more believable.
On March 14, Danielle Dunn, media representative for Charter’s Northwest region, which oversees the actual Spectrum service, responded to questions from The News Tribune about the fraudulent calls.
“There is no such, ‘We can save you 50% on your current bills’ offer in the marketplace,” she said via email, and Spectrum does not even offer service in Pierce County.
“Our main service areas in Washington are the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Pullman and Ellensburg,” she wrote.
Dunn noted, “Unfortunately, these are common scams, and are not specific to any provider or industry.”
Another robocall-monitoring website made the same point in its own “Spectrum scams” post, noting that callers used similar tactics impersonating entities such as Citibank, Netflix and UPS.
Dunn made clear that customers of the real Spectrum brand “should avoid responding to any message or offer that may seem illegitimate. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably not a real offer.”
The company warns customers against such calls on its own scam and fraud alert tips page.
Dunn also offered the following tips:
▪ Never provide personal, account or payment info over the phone, noting, “Spectrum will never call you asking for this info. Spectrum also doesn’t accept payment through Bitcoin, gift cards or banking apps, such as Venmo, Zelle or PayPal.”
▪ If you do business with the company contacting you, call them back at the number on your statement, “not the number the caller gives you.”
▪ Spectrum also encourages recipients of such calls to contact local authorities with details, “so they’re aware of what’s going on in your area.”
Not a new ploy
Despite recent activity, the “Spectrum” calls are not new. The FTC published a consumer alert about such calls in October 2022.
“Did Spectrum or another provider call with an offer to lower your monthly TV, cable, or internet bill in exchange for a pre-payment or fee? It wasn’t them. It was a scammer, and you’re not alone,” the alert stated.
The FTC at that time reported that it had received “thousands of reports — including many from older adults — about scammers pretending to be Spectrum to try to trick people out of their money or personal information.”
As recently as March 8, a Green Bay, Wisconsin, TV station reported on a man there falling victim to a Spectrum scam call, reportedly losing $900 in an attempt to save on his cable bill, adding that “they almost got $2,500.”
The victim noted the call used audio of Spectrum advertising when he was put on hold.
A representative with the Better Business Bureau’s Great West + Pacific office, which serves Washington and other states in the region, told The News Tribune its tracking service showing “lots and lots of reports lately from consumers,” describing bogus Spectrum offers. The most recent was reported March 13, and postings from different states wide ranging, including California and Connecticut.
Better Business Bureau’s national Scam Tracker board online shows that on March 8, a respondent who did not list a location posted that after receiving voicemail with number to call, “called the # as was offered 50% off my Spectrum account for 12 mos.”
The person said the scammer required a payment for first 6 months “upfront $480 in the form of Target (credit card) or Target debit card or 2 gift cards at $240 each.”
The respondent added: “Dollars Lost: $480.”
Reporting fraud
The following links offer ways to report scams tied to telemarketing/robocalls:
Washington state Office of the Attorney General Telephone Scam reporting form
Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker
This story was originally published March 14, 2024 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Who is Spectrum and why are they calling me? Well-known scam now in Washington market."
