Dish Network installer charged in credit card thefts from customers

[seandudley]

Halifax — A satellite-television installer faces more than 50 charges in connection with credit card thefts in North Carolina and Virginia, and investigators said they worry there could be more victims.

"If he's been in your home, be sure and check," Halifax County Sheriff Jeff Frazier said.

Alan Eugene Holloman, 35, of Enfield, faces a number of charges, including larceny, financial card fraud, financial card theft, forgery and obtaining property by false pretense.

Investigators recovered more than $15,000 in stolen items, including large-screen high-definition TVs, a diamond ring, pearl necklace, home theater systems, DVDs and shoes, from Holloman's house.

"There were lots of items taken that were sold, and he made profit on them," Frazier said.

Investigators said Holloman worked for Custom Communication and installed satellites for Dish Network and that he stole while he was on jobs.

Francene Henderson Wheatley said Holloman victimized her. Shortly after Dish Network sent him to connect satellite service for her, she said, her mailbox was filled with credit card bills for purchases totaling up to $30,000.

"We trusted him," she said.

Holloman was being held without bond at the Halifax County Jail on Wednesday afternoon.

link: Satellite Installer Charged in Credit Card Thefts :: WRAL.com

 

[Van]

I lost count of the times I would go into a customers home and a purse or wallet would be left sitting out in the open in a bedroom or another room where I was installing a receiver or fixing an issue. Time after time I would tell the customer that they had left it out and ask them to take posession of it while I was in their home for everyones protection though mostly mine. Honestly if your a customer you really and truely need to secure your valueables prior to allowing any service person into your house because you dont know these people and you shouldnt be foolish enough to trust them just because they work for a company you like.

 

[damjr]

The problem is that the installer doesn't even need to physically have the card.

They get full access to all your info when they activate your system. All they need is the CC #, expiration date, and maybe the billing address.

Armed with this info you can shopping online all day long.

 

[Scott6760]

That guy worked for the same company as me. They were talking about it at the office the other day.

 

[mdwatt]

It's jack asses like this that make things rough for the honest guys out there.

 

[Van]

The problem is that the installer doesn't even need to physically have the card.

They get full access to all your info when they activate your system. All they need is the CC #, expiration date, and maybe the billing address.

Armed with this info you can shopping online all day long.

Really? Funny that that practice stopped 6 years ago with dish taking CC payments for equipment and labour charges through its installers, they also stopped taking any form of payment through inhouse techs at the same time. If this guy was getting it from the customer face to face then he was "charging them" for equipment or labour that ended up being $30k for a wall fish in one persons case.

Trust me though, people are really bad about leaving alot of stuff out and around the house in plain site on average if I had 5 jobs in a day then 3 - 4 would have sensitive things sitting out. In some instances I've had customers leave several thousands of dollars in cash laying out on dressers and office desks, it happens all to often and any other installer here can atest to that.


Edit: Any payment that a customer makes to dish through an installer they actually have to do over the phone themselves without the installer, so the only person that will have cc info thats directly working for dish will be the csr.

 

[ezriser]

Really? Funny that that practice stopped 6 years ago with dish taking CC payments for equipment and labour charges through its installers, they also stopped taking any form of payment through inhouse techs at the same time. If this guy was getting it from the customer face to face then he was "charging them" for equipment or labour that ended up being $30k for a wall fish in one persons case.

Trust me though, people are really bad about leaving alot of stuff out and around the house in plain site on average if I had 5 jobs in a day then 3 - 4 would have sensitive things sitting out. In some instances I've had customers leave several thousands of dollars in cash laying out on dressers and office desks, it happens all to often and any other installer here can atest to that.


Van, they were just testing you-LOL

 

[Liquidforce88]

Trust me though, people are really bad about leaving alot of stuff out and around the house in plain site on average if I had 5 jobs in a day then 3 - 4 would have sensitive things sitting out. In some instances I've had customers leave several thousands of dollars in cash laying out on dressers and office desks, it happens all to often and any other installer here can atest to that.

Man it must be nice to work in those kinds of houses. Most of the trailers I work in are not worth that much.

 

[Claude Greiner]

My installer was telling me once when he was working for the cable company about 20 years ago that he did a Job at a crack house.

When my installer was in the basement there where several black garbage bags full of cash sitting on a pool table.

The customer goes down in the basement, see's my installer working down there, hands him a bundle of $50 bills, smiles and says "All this is garbage right"

My installer replies back "Yes sir, lots of garbage"

 

[Van]

Wish that had happened at one of the crack houses I installed at off of Jefferson.

 

[Sileny Jizda]

We lock up anything deemed important prior to any service visit from any repair or install person. One instance really chapped my arse though was when a plumber came to make a few repairs. The wife and I were home upstairs working in the kitchen when we heard a thud downstairs. The danged plumber saw fit to let himself inside through our office window we had opened for our cat to sit in. I about hit the roof. Apparently, up here in these parts they are not familiar with the normal Texan greeting with a handgun when choosing to enter through something other than the front door invited.

Since then, he's made dang sure to ring the bell and knock.

 

[dishcomm]

I lost count of the times I would go into a customers home and a purse or wallet would be left sitting out in the open in a bedroom or another room where I was installing a receiver or fixing an issue. Time after time I would tell the customer that they had left it out and ask them to take posession of it while I was in their home for everyones protection though mostly mine. Honestly if your a customer you really and truely need to secure your valueables prior to allowing any service person into your house because you dont know these people and you shouldnt be foolish enough to trust them just because they work for a company you like.

ya know what? I never though of saying anything to a customer in that regard...
I see this all the time..Customers leaving important papers, wallets ,money jewelery out in the open...
Not that I want people to put their home under lockdown and hire a camera crew to follow me around while I work, but jeez, they should be sensible.
This is a very sensitive issue. Some people may construe your concern as a message that I cannot trust myself to be hionest on not steal..Sort of like the recovering alcoholic who visits a relative and asks him to lock up the booze. In any event, I am very cautious around people's stuff. if I see anything out of line I stop what I am doing and alert the customer. I am a ten year veteran in this business and not once have I ever been accused ..I aim to keep it that way

 

[dishcomm]

It's jack asses like this that make things rough for the honest guys out there.

You stole my thunder!!!! Kudos..I agree 100% ..In some instances ,street justice should be legal.

 

[Van]

I bring it up so that they are aware, most of the time they were clueless to the fact and quickly gathered up things. One guy went so far as to say it didnt matter to him because he had a 38 special that would do the talking for him, it wouldnt have done him any good if he didnt know the bankroll he left on his dresser behind a large pile of clutter had went poof.