Scam of the month: Cable & subscription TV

If you get a call from someone claiming to be from your cable TV provider, proceed with caution because it could be a scam.

Fraudsters are impersonating well-known cable TV brands and other entertainment subscription services.

Hiya has received hundreds of comments from users reporting cable and subscription TV scam calls. Consumers using Hiya’s spam protection service through their phone carrier, device manufacturer or mobile app, can tap their device to report a call as fraud or nuisance and can leave a comment about the nature of the call. Below is a sampling of user comments related to cable TV scams.

“Said he was from Spectrum and our bill was overdue and we needed to make a payment to avoid service interruption.”

“Called claiming to be Comcast Xfinity. Said a discount was being removed from my bill if I didn't call back. I don't have Comcast Xfinity.”

“Just received a call stating it’s DIRECTV calling with an offer to discount my bill 50%.”

“Scam pretending to be from Bell Canada requiring action to prevent disconnection of TV and internet.”

“Said they were with My TV Service and they wanted me to pay them $654 to turn my service back on. I don’t have any service.”

Spectrum scams fall as Xfinity scams rise

The name of the cable TV provider in these scams changes with time. A year ago, Spectrum was the most commonly impersonated cable TV brand in the U.S. But then, in November 2024, Spectrum scams began to decline and Comcast Xfinity scams began to increase. Now, the two have flip-flopped, with Comcast Xfinity being impersonated more often.

Many of these cable TV scams are mass robocalls either offering a 40% or 50% discount — or an urgent message that states a current discount is expiring and the recipient must speak to a representative immediately or the discount will be taken away.

With cable TV scams, there seems to be two approaches. With the first approach, the scammer picks the name of a common cable TV or subscription service provider, hoping they’ll catch someone with that service. The other approach is to cast a wide net, where the scammers simply say they are calling from “your TV service.”

Scammers are trying to get into your TV

A more disturbing trend is scammers trying to gain access to consumers’ accounts for cable TV or entertainment subscription services. Often this is accomplished by convincing the victim to download software that allows the caller to control the call recipient’s phone or computer, under the guise that they are updating the service. Here are some examples:

“This so called person posing as Roku customer service had me download Anydesk and tried to steal all my money and had complete control over my phone.”

"Claims to be TV service provider that needs to update the receiver box. Needs bank info to refund money or to pay for an update."

“Obviously fraud. Started asking me to read them numbers off of my TV remote.”

“Said they were from TV service, wanting to install new software, and to turn my TV on. I said I don’t have TV service and they hung up.”

“Lied about who they were...Roku support. Gains access to mobile phone/TV via RealVNC Server app. Made gift card charges in $200 increments to Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Dollar General.”

How to protect against cable TV scams

The best way to protect against these and other phone scams is to use technology that will either block scam calls or label them as a likely scam so you can proceed with caution.

For mobile phone carriers, there’s Hiya Protect, a complete call protection solution that enables carriers to block fraud calls and label suspected nuisance calls to protect subscribers.

For individuals and business professionals, Hiya recommends the Hiya AI Phone app, which features:

• Real-time scam protection
• AI-voice and deepfake protection
• AI-assisted call screening
• Call summaries and transcripts

Learn more about the Hiya AI Phone app and to download a free two-week trial.