(Mobile, Ala.) - Dec. 8 - A
website is trying to take advantage of consumers seeking government coupons for digital television converter boxes, and it all has to do with a web address that sounds like the real one, but isn't. "I have the 'dot gov'," says Dee McMullen. She mistakenly entered "www.dtv.com" when she went searching for digital tv converter coupons.
It turns out www.dtv.com goes directly to a site that offers a box that looks something like a digital converter.
"We're also looking at a price which may not seem too unreasonable for the converter box which consumers are looking to purchase," says David Beasley of the Better Business Bureau. But even the Better Business Bureau could not find the company listed on this site to deal with complaints and rates the firm called Satellite Soft unsatisfactory.
"The company is trying to confuse consumers, or take advantage of consumers that would be going to dtv.gov," says Beasley.
"It's very deceptive when you go in there," says McMullen.
Dee's search took her to another site, offering coupons she thought were for that digital convertor box. "I thought, well there's something funny about this because i kept going down and it said the government will give you also some grant money," says McMullen.
She wound up getting only suspicious e-mail.The BBB says the switch to digital tv and converter boxes may already be a bit confusing. "And those who have had very little experience with the internet may just automatically assume that it's dot com," warns Beasley.
"Ii didn't want this to happen to other people." says McMullen.
