Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote in
news:XnsAD2E9B10530EEnospamnospaminvalid@144.76.35.252:

> "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote in
> news:s7uavk$i7f$1@dont-email.me:
>
>> Boris <Boris@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>>>>Boris <Boris@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>>>>Today I got an email from "online.communications@alerts.comcast.net".
>>>>>Here is a cut and paste of the essence of the service order:
>>
>>>>Wow. That's quite a scam.
>>
>>>>Take your documentation of the call to Comcast and file a police
>>>>report. There's simply no way this wasn't criminal activity.
>>
>>>I've dealt with the cops due to a burglary four years ago. The burglars
>>>left forensic evidence ALL over the place and I had to TELL the cops to
>>>take it with them. They did, but their report simply said Burglary at
>>>such and such an address. I knew they wouldn't care, but I had to
>>>report for insurance purposes.
>>
>> I'm sorry they refused to help you last time.
>>
>> With a police report number on the record, you might call Comcast back
>> and let them know that you reported this AND you expect them to fix
>> their billing system so your account doesn't get compromised again. Then
>> ask for a large credit on your account. Comcast hates giving credits to
>> subscribers and that might get the attention of a higher up.
>>
>> Speak to the Comcast liason at your village hall and have that person
>> refer you to a Comcast subscriber service representative who has more
>> authority.
>>
>> This is disturbing. My guess is that the owner of the pr0n service
>> submitted a lot of names to Comcast claiming they ordered.
>>
>> A long time ago, when I was an AT&T subscriber, my account was both
>> slammed and crammed thanks to federal rules allowing ANY billing entity
>> to submit bills to AT&T's billing system (cramming) and AT&T itself
>> putting unauthorized pre-paid long distance services on the bill
>> (slamming). That took a long time to fix. One advantage of cable was
>> that their subscriber billing systems weren't open to fraud like this
>> but your experience demonstrates that that's no longer the case.
>
> I posted this unauthorized user issue to the comcast (xfinity) forum, and
> a Comcast employee has asked me to contact them personally. I want to
> find out how this happened. Shylo, the rep on the phone who reversed the
> unauthorized changes, did not know.
>
> One thing I don't like when an issue on the forum goes private, others
> don't get the benefit of the fix, if there is one.
>
> I will report back.

There are two TVs in the home that have neither a Purchase Lock PIN, nor a
Parental Control Lock PIN.

The Comcast rep said that the change to the account was made in the home,
through the OnDemand option, on one of the two TVs that has no X1 Purchase
PIN. He mentioned nothing about a Parental Control Lock PIN.

What I've learned from www.xfinity.com/support is that a Purchase Lock PIN,
if created and enabled, prevents unauthorized
OnDemand purchases
subscription to new channels
PayPerView events purchases

See Getting Started, item 5, here:
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/x1-manage-tv-settings-online

Furthermore, the Parental Control Lock PIN, if created and enabled, *only*
prevents restricted content of whatever the user sets that needs a Lock PIN.

See:
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/x1-parental-controls-understanding-
parental-controls-and-pins

I say *only* because the instructions in the above link for the Parental
Control Lock PIN says, "Parental Controls let you restrict access to content
based on TV/Movie Ratings, Channels, Titles and Services." See the word
'Services" there? I don't know what 'Services' consist of. Are new
subscriptions/channel plans included in 'Services'?

I think the answer to that is, no, because if you look here, at the "Related
Articles" listed on the right side of this page, it appears that the Parental
Controls blocking options deal with things like movie and TV ratings,
channels, individual programs, and time of day, but not new subscription.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/x1-parental-controls-turn-on-off

So, it looks like the renters just went into the OnDemand and ordered up
whatever they wanted, which included changes to the account's subscription
plan.

The fix, so this doesn't happen again, is to create a Purchase Lock on all
TVs in the home.

In article <XnsAD33B2593CF4Anospamnospaminvalid@144.76.35.252>, Boris
<nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> So, it looks like the renters just went into the OnDemand and ordered up
> whatever they wanted, which included changes to the account's subscription
> plan.

When I signed up with the local cable company thirty years ago, they
immediately billed me for a porn thing entitled Tight Places. They
gave me a pretty hard time about it, even when I pointed out that we
hadn't even bought the house yet when the movie was ordered. They
finally, and grudgingly, credited me back for the movie. I told them
that they could rely on me never, ever ordering anything extra. That
day to this, I've kept my word.