Bay Area family sent to collections for DirecTV account opened by scammers

PACIFICA, Calif. (KGO) -- A Pacifica woman received a collection notice for a service she never ordered or received. 7 On Your Side has done a number of stories of people being harassed by unscrupulous collection agencies... but this isn't one of those stories. It does, however, involve a scam.

Sharon Lindsay of Pacifica takes time to cuddle with her feline friend. "Meet Maggie. She is ferocious," said Lindsay.

Maggie comforted Lindsay after a collection agency sent this past due notice for $926 from DirecTV in April.

It's not a service she even has.

Lindsay immediately filled out a fraud form and pointed out her name on the collection notice is misspelled. It omits the "A" in her first name, Sharon.

"They didn't even get my name right. I didn't even have a contract," she said.

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DirecTV reviewed her claim of fraud, but in June sent her another notice saying it considered her $926 balance to be accurate.

"Please remit the balance due in the amount of $923.06 to the following address to avoid further collection agency," it read.

The letter claimed she "was never current. No payments from April through Sept. 2021." DirecTV also charged her an early termination fee along with a non-return fee.

Lindsay felt like she was running out of options.

"We didn't know what to do anymore because every month I get these letters with more added with interest and I owe on this," she said.

That's when she reached out to 7 On Your Side.

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And that's when the situation began to turn for the better.

"Excuse me. I got a tiger by the teeth here. I wasn't about to pay that," Lindsay told us.

She said within two hours after 7 On Your Side reached out to DirecTV, the company promised to look into it further.

DirecTV told 7 On Your Side: "We worked with the Lindsays to quickly investigate their claim and determined the account was opened by fraudsters."

All collection efforts have ceased and the fraudulent account has been closed.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

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