The document discusses a scam known as 'cable flipping,' where cable company employees create new accounts using existing customers' information for personal gain, leading to billing issues and potential identity theft. Victims often face collection from agencies for debts they do not owe, complicating their credit history despite having proof of existing services. It advises victims on steps to take, such as reporting to local police and verifying their account status to mitigate the impact of this scam.

1. Cable Services Dirty Little Secret

2.  Unlike true identity theft, this scam involves
cable company employees.
 Victims of this scam usually have existing
cable services or have applied for new
services (online or in-store).
 Like most scams, this one is driven by greed.
 It’s unclear the extent corporate
management may know about Cable Flipping
as the scam is blended into the process of
fixing real Identity Theft.

3.  You contact the cable service for an upgrade
or to fix an existing cable box issue
 Cable employees greedy for larger
commissions actually create a new account
with your new services.
 They re-assign your previous account number
with all your billing information to a empty
home or random address in another part of
town or different state.

4.  Bills for the former debt are now going to a
bad address
 Eventually the unpaid delinquent account is
turned over to a collection agency.
 The agency has all your contact information
from the contract.
 They accuse you of not paying your bill etc.
 Even if you prove you have an existing
account they still call and attempt to
collect.

5.  The collection agency then requires the
following;
 A police report listing yourself and them (cable
svs) as victims of identity theft.
 They also require you complete an Identity Theft
Victim’s Complaint and Affidavit, also listing
yourself and them(cable svs) as victims of
identity theft.
 A copy of your Drivers License and something
with your SSN listed.

6.  The employees get a large commission with
new service rather than a simple upgrade.
 The cable company reports the loss for
either a tax write off or insurance claim
 If you don’t follow their directions, they can
ruin your good credit until you do.
 You rarely if at all will see a cable service
report to one of the Three National Credit
Bureaus.
 The Collection Agency they use, will report
you.

7.  If you suspect your existing cable service may
have scammed you, contact your local police
department and provide your concerns.
 Try to locate a previous bill. Check the account
number. Is it different?
 Limit what you write in the original FTC/Police
report, for example:
“My identity may have been used or manipulated
to obtain cable services without my consent”
“I believe my existing cable service may have used
my identity to create a separate service without
my consent. They require I submit this statement”

8.  Federal Trade Commission
 The Better Business Bureau
 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
 www.AnnualCreditReport.com

9.  Request the cable company turn over the
address and information that was used to law
enforcement.
 If necessary request local law enforcement to
require the cable company to provide the
application re: FACTA 609.e Disclosures to
Consumers
 ‘Businesses shall provide a copy of application and
business transaction records in the control of the
business entity’
 This will confirm if the account was established
Internally or Externally
 Cable Flipping is an industry wide problem, not
limited to specific states.

10. Compiled and designed by Mark Fullbright , Certified Identity
Theft Risk Management Specialist™ (CITRMS) as a free service for
consumers to protect themselves from business scams.
Stay Safe, Stay Secure