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Strega2
Roku Guru

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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Well, here are some ideas:

It could have been the same pw that you used on another site.

They could have asked you to login and given you the URL. (For example, at one time myroku.com was being used on victims who didn’t notice the distinction from my.roku.com. Now Roku owns that name, but scammers will try to think of others.)

They could have asked you to click on a thing then another thing, and without realizing it, you’ve installed some software.  (One guy on this forum got told that he needed to clean up his viruses before he could activate Roku and paid $800 for “roku support” to install some very dubious so-called security software on his PC.)

There’s a guy (probably several) who makes youtube videos where he wastes scammers time for hours.  He uses a voice changing app to sound like a little-old lady, and he videos the computer screen and annotates it so you can see what’s going on.  Some of these scams are both simple and very clever.

For example, a refund scam goes like: Guy tells you you have a $500 refund coming and he’s going to deposit it to your account.  But first, please click on a few things.  And if “the little old lady” is suspicious, she get’s all kinds of assurances.  So, she installs a remote viewing/remote control program.  Then the scammer (or one of several scammers on the call – it helps to have more of them than the one so one can keep you preoccupied while the other hacks) tells her to check her checking account.  She does (and they can see everything she is doing.) 

Then they do some stuff to distract her while one of them browses her logged-in bank account and see’s that she has a savings account too.  So, he transfers $5000 from savings to checking, and then leaves the page back on the checking account showing the $5000 incoming transfer.

Then the phone scammer, tells her he has transferred her $500 refund and she can confirm that now. Well, she does, but golly, he transferred $5000 by mistake!  So, then the phone scammer sounds all excited and says he’s going to lose his job and she could go to jail for fraud, so he comes up with a plan for the victim to transfer $4500 “back” to him.  (Which, remember, came from her own savings account.) It’s just amazing the stuff that these people come up with.

Oh and by the way, my social security number has been cancelled due to fraudulent activity and I’ve been asked to help get a secret Nigerian cosmonaut back from space, because the poor guy has been trapped up their since the fall of Soviet Union.

Also, be extra-suspicious, because scammers often re-target the same people over and over.

Banned but back. Because why not?
putz4582
Binge Watcher

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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Your narrative is positively frightening and yes, I can certainly see how even tech savy folks might fall for this kind of scam. It sounds like you've been in the security business for a while, and have seen a lot of these scams. I did get a call back from Roku security and they said for me to start changing my password on a regular basis. I suggested that Roku add two step authentication to their logon process like banks and Amazon have. So I still have no idea how they figured out my password, it is not one that I used on other apps. I dunno ...  So where do you want me to send aid to get that cosmonaut guy back to earth??  I promise I will be extra super suspicious of everything from now on....  lesson learned!!!

Again, thank you for helping a complete stranger. 

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Jack80
Binge Watcher

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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Got caught in the same scam and my TV is locked up.  RKU Technologies (claiming to be part of ROKU) took control of my TV and issued invoice through PayPal which they said by paying my service would be restored.  I told PayPal and the invoice disappeared but still cannot get rid of the frozen screen.  Would appreciate any suggestions on how to get my TV and ROKU operating again.  Thanks in advance.

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AvsGunnar
Community Streaming Expert

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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@Jack80 

Login to your online dashboard at https://www.roku.com and change your account password.

Then factory reset the RokuTV. (Press and hold reset button 15-30 seconds).

----

If you can't get into your online dashboard because someone has changed your password, then create a new Roku account (use a different email address) and again, Factory Reset the RokuTV.

Note: if you have subscriptions through Roku Pay, then you won't be able to use them with this new account (if you have to create a new account).  

However, if you have subscriptions directly with your subscription provider, then you just need to login with your subscription credentials after setting up your RokuTV on the new account.

Hopefully, the first method above with simple password change will work for you.

Roku Community Streaming Expert
Just another Roku user... I am not a Roku employee.
Insignia RokuTV, Ultra 4660, Premiere+ 3921, Express 4k+ 3941, Streambar 9102

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Jack80
Binge Watcher

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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Thanks for your information.  Feel so stupid getting into this mess/scam.  Still working on streaming problems but not willing to pay a crook $90 because that will not be the end of it.

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Jack80
Binge Watcher

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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AvsGunnar,

Thanks again for your suggestions.  Have changed my account password.  Also took of the Roku streaming stick, found the reset button, power it up using an offline USB port and will be trying it later tonight to see if problem is solved.  Will let you know.

Jack80

putz4582
Binge Watcher

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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Do not pay any money to unlock your tv's. The hackers got into your Roku account and turned on 'guest mode'. There are date parameters within 'guest mode' to turn off services. This is where the hackers added the message to call the bogus support number too. You need to go to your Roku.com account and add a PIN to get into this function. Then once you are in, turn guest mode 'off'

And change your password again just to be safe... good luck!!

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putz4582
Binge Watcher

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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Now that you've changed your password the hackers cannot get into your account any more. My other post details that you now have to go into 'guest mode'; and turn it off... but now you have to enter a PIN to do this,,, an extra level of security ROKU added since this happened to me!!  Oh, and remove any date parameters the hackers added... Good Luck!

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Jack80
Binge Watcher

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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AvsGunnar

I am still with problems.  Changed my email (set up a new one), set up new password, reset Roku stick and tried again.  Still no success.  Redid this several times.  TV works but cannot get Roku stick operating.  What am I missing?  Appreciate your patience and help.

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Jack80
Binge Watcher

Re: TV's locked up, screen message says my Roku acct expired and listed a phone number to call

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Binge Watcher

Added PIN, checked 'guest mode' but not turned on.  Even changed my password.

Would appreciate an other ideas.  TV works without Roku stick.  When I reset stick, TV now works but cannot get Roku stick instructions to set up again.

Any more ideas are welcome and Roku has yet to get back to me from my calls/emails from Thursday.

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