Crime & Safety
'Fake' DirecTV Employees Actual DishOne Employees, Sandy Police Say
UPDATE: In a case of mistaken identity, officials say the men weren't doing anything nefarious, though they're still not DirecTV workers.
SANDY, OR — Police in Sandy on Tuesday asked for the public's assistance in identifying and tracking down two men suspected of impersonating DirecTV employees, but it turned out to just be a serious case of mistaken identity.
As originally reported, Sandy police officials said two unidentified men on Monday, June 19, were caught on a home surveillance camera supposedly trying to convince a DirecTV customer to hand over billing information. The wary customer did not provide the information requested but did call police, so officers set out to find any additional information that could help identify and locate the two men.
After conducting an investigation, Sandy police reportedly informed AT&T/DirecTV spokeswoman Katie Spencer that the men were not associated with DirecTV in any way, but were instead legitimate representatives of another cable provider, Spencer told Patch in an email.
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In an update on the Sandy police website, officials said the men are actually employed by Dish Network, not DirecTV, and that their door-to-door sales tactic is legitimate and nothing to fear. In fact, the men are representatives of DishOne, the door-to-door sales affiliate for Dish Network.
Essentially, going door-to-door is what they're supposed to do, as evidenced by their website's proud assertion that DishOne employees knock on more then 48,000 doors per day.
Find out what's happening in Greshamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to Sandy Police Officer William Weatherbee, several people called the department Monday about the two men — who were ultimately caught up in a miscommunication between the citizens and the police, Weatherbee told Patch Wednesday.
"We just wanted to make sure there wasn't any fraud going on," he said, noting that Sandy requires business licensing for door-to-door sales (which Weatherbee said DishOne obtained, though police weren't made aware of it until later). "Our citizens know (about the business license requirement), so they know to call us when something doesn't seem right."
Photo Courtesy: Sandy Police Department
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