Dish Network & Identity Theft

The illegal telemarketing practices of Dish Network hit a new low this week with some new automated phone ads from Dish Network that mask the identity of Dish Network, it's phone number, or any information traceable to Dish Network, and instead hijack a resident's own name and phone number on the caller ID readout. This is an outrageous attempt by Dish Network to force people to pick up the phone and listen to their unwanted sales calls, because it is so bizarre for a caller ID to have your own identity on it. It's also probably illegal identity theft as well that violates federal communications laws.

Dish Network also routinely violates some state laws by refusing to put persons on "do not call" lists or by refusing to allow persons an "opt out" option opportunity to be free of their telemarketing calls. And it appears that phone operators with Dish Network have been trained to break the law by refusing requests from the public to put them on "do not call" lists.

If Dish Network wants to buy advertising on TV, radio, newspapers, the Internet, etc. then fine. These are legal outlets for this sleazy company to peddle their wares. But it is their illegal telemarketing practices in direct violation of the laws of some states as well as this latest attempt to hijack the identity of their telemarketing victims that probably violate federal telecommunications laws.

You can write Dish Network angry letters or Emails asking them to leave you alone. But they simply ignore you and continue to call you sometimes twice a day to become a customer of their company when you are not at all interested. They train their employees to routinely deny complaint's about their continued illegal telemarketing practices.

It's time for state and federal authorities to step in and hit Dish Network with some huge fines and nearly bankrupt this company to get their attention. This company is simply too ruthless and aggressive in it's telemarketing approach and arrogantly only angers satisfied customers of other cable or satellite services who are perfectly happy with their current service and have no desire whatsoever to switch to Dish Network.

I'd strongly recommend that angry victims of Dish Network's aggressive and illegal telemarketing practices take the following actions: 1. Send Dish Network a $35.00 service charge bill for every time you have to spend time running to the phone to answer one of their telemarketing calls. And when they refuse to pay this bill, then hand it over to a collection agency. 2. File official complaints with your state's attorney general office that handles consumer and criminal complaints. If Dish Network is violating "opt out" or "do not call" list rules, then raise this issue with your attorney general in a formal complaint. If Dish Network has hijacked your identity with their latest scheme to mask their identity, then make this a complaint issue as well. 3. Write your senators and members of congress about Dish Network and inform them about their illegal practices. 4. Contact the Federal Communications Commission about Dish Network's new telemarketing ads that hijack your own name and phone number and mask their own identity. Tell the FCC you consider this to be a form of identity theft.

The management of Dish Network just doesn't appear to be intelligent enough to stop their illegal telemarketing practices. So it is up to citizens to make civil and criminal complaints to clean up this company's sleazy business practices. Dish Network has far exceeded even the worst conduct of any spammer that I've ever seen with their ruthless and illegal telemarketing practices. It's time to put the brakes on this company. Good companies just don't behave like this. Good companies market themselves in a responsible manner to the public and don't routinely violate laws.