SANDPOINT — A Bonner County woman is spreading the word about a scam involving a man who claimed to be a representative of her satellite television provider.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said Dish Network advised her that she was due for a receiver upgrade and arrangements were for a technician to come to her home to install the device. But prior to the installation date, she received a phone from a man who sought to confirm the appointment. She was advised that she would pay an upfront fee of $150, but she would be reimbursed through monthly deductions to her account.

She was instructed to send the check to an address in Texas. The addressed checked out as a legitimate location on Google, she said.

The woman’s equipment upgrade went through without a hitch, although she noticed her account was not being deducted when she received her latest bill.

“There was no deductions on the bill as promised,” she said.

Her inquiries to Dish were ultimately routed through the company’s fraud department, which is looking into the matter. She also reported the incident to police.

Dish repaid the woman her $150 outlay.

Scams involving Dish are not unheard of, especially in Texas, according to published news accounts. There are several variations of the scam, although many of them have in common the $150 sum of money.

The woman said she wants get the word out about the scam in the event others in Bonner County are being targeted.

Unanswered so far is how the perpetrator of the scam knew she had a scheduled service call through Dish.

“How did he know I was having a technician coming to the house?” she wondered.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.