Tips from TRIAD

By Elaine Anderson
Orange County TRIAD Coordinator
Published: August 28, 2008

You’ve heard it said a thousand times, “Never give out your banking or credit card information or your Social Security number over the phone unless you are the one who makes the call.” Well, here we go again: If you watch over-the-air broadcasts on a conventional television, a DTV converter box will be needed after Feb. 17, 2009. Unfortunately, my senior citizens, the scammers are out there again, calling you in order to get you to buy a converter box over the phone. Please do not fall for this scam. 
These people are offering to get you a converter box at a discount (or not) and-you guessed it-all they want is your bank account number, credit card number, or Social Security number in order to take your money and run!
There is available through the government, a DTV Coupon Program that can save you up to $80 on the price of a converter box. Two coupons, each worth $40, can be requested by any U.S. household during the first phase of the program (which started Jan. 1, 2008). In order to get these coupons, please call the government’s toll-free number, 1-888-388-2009. Because there are many people who will be requesting these coupons, there very well may be a waiting period while you’re on the phone. Also, you may want to request these coupons as early as you can, because the program might not have the sufficient funds to meet the demand. If this program runs out of the allocated funds, there will be a second phase, and the remaining coupons will be available to over-the-air viewers only.
You can redeem your DTV converter box coupons at any store certified by the federal government to participate in the program.