Douglas County sheriff's deputies are on the lookout for three men in their 20s suspected of posing as DirecTV satellite television employees to steal programming cards from residents' units.
The men are described as white, clean cut and driving a white Ford Tempo.
The trio having been telling DirecTV satellite customers that they have to replace old cards with updated cards. They ask the customer to wait 20 minutes before trying the new card, and when they do it doesn't work.
The old cards, which are susceptible to hacking techniques used to get premium satellite channels, are believed to be worth $90 on the open market. A visit to ebay.com reveals that the cards are easily available.
The same type of scam was recently discovered in Mono County, Calif.
Authorities are urging satellite television customers to take the extra precaution of asking for identification and not to hesitate to verify the technician's employment.
Anyone with information about the scam is urged to call the sheriff's department at 782-9911.