Colossus Ventures

The same happened to me when I got my TV with a built in roku…a phone number 818-697-9892 popped up to call to get it activated ..which I did and they even came to my house to activate it and collect $99.00 for lifetime membership fee…I thought that it was ligit…I just found out that all I had to do is sign up for a free account . I would only need a streaming stick/box for a TV that does not have roku already built in! These “Colossus Ventures” scammed me!

Something has to be done about these scammers!

Scammer’s phone 1-607-871-6127

Scammer’s website collossusvents.com and crmcollosus.com

Scammer’s address 7040 Bailey road #217, Pittsburgh, CA 94565

Scammer’s email Wasn’t given to me

Country United States

Type of a scam Tech Support

Initial means of contact Phone

Got my brand new Roku t.v., plugged it in, attached the router and internet box. I followed the prompts on the t.v. to activate and set up a Roku account. A phone number appeared on the screen that I had to call to activate my account and there was also an activation code that was also on my screen below the phone number. I called the number and the first representative I spoke with, was Kayte, she asked me to give her the activation code that was showing on the screen, so I did. She then started to give me prices of two packages I had a choice of choosing from. One was a basic pkg with a 5 year Roku account for $99.89 the second pkg was a lifetime Roku account for $129.98. So I asked her if I had to purchase a pkg to set up a Roku account, and for my t.v. to work. She said yes. I’m a 72 year old disabled woman, who lives on a fixed income, not technically savvy. I’d just purchased this t.v. and I purchased the Roku t.v. because I’d been told previously by several friends that it was free to set up your t.v. and Roku account, and there were free channels on it. I told Kayte that I wasn’t prepared to pay that money, and if there’s any way for me to set up the Roku account at a later time. She said no, and that my t.v. wouldn’t work until I paid for one of the packages. I wanted to watch t.v., and since the screen on the t.v. gave me the number to call, I was a little apprehensive, but I didn’t think that I was being scammed. So I paid for the basic pkg. After I digitally signed for the basic pkg., and they got almost $100 dollars from me,, the t.v. started going through what I thought was the initial processing so the t.v. would start working. So, Kayte then told me that she was setting it up on her end and that after we hung up to wait 5 mins before I started going through the process of what the t.v. would prompt me to do, and that in 20 minutes a technician would them call me to see how it went, and to see if there was anything I needed help with, and that he would walk me through any problems. So, we hung up. I’m not a tech savvy person, nor did I realize they were scammers. I called a friend who had a Roku t.v. and asked her if she had to pay for her t.v. set-up and Roku account and she said absolutely not, and that you should never be charged! And that there should never be a charge for for my Roku t.v. to start working. By now 5 minutes had gone by, the t.v. did nothing, and so I waited the 20 minutes for the technician to call, NO call… After the 20 minutes were up, the t.v. then showed a screen just like the initial screen, however, it now had a different activation code and under the activation code it said there’s no charge for activation! I was so upset that they are able to scam people in that manner!
I followed the directions on the screen for activation which then prompted me to call to set up activation and Roku account! So, not only was I scammed for $100 dollars, I still had no t.v. to watch. To top it off, there was now a new screen with a different activation code on my t.v. I called back the number that initially the t.v. screen prompted me to call to ask them why they charge me, and that my t.v. wasn’t working, and no technician had called and there was now a new activation code and under the code it says that there is no charge for activation and set-up of Roku account. I told the representative I wanted them to refund my card immediately! The representative that answered said her name was Sharon and didn’t respond to my wanting to be refunded, and she sounded exactly like Kayte the representative I’d initially spoken with, but, she asked who I’d spoken with to and I told her it was Kayte. She said well I can help you set up your t.v., give me the activation code that is on your t.v. I told her NO, Kayte already had me give her the first activation code that was on my t.v., and charged my CC for the basic pkg., and my t.v. didn’t activate, nor had a technician called me in 20 minutes as Kayte said one would.. I asked her why had they charged me, when its supposed to be free and that I want my money refunded. She told me she couldn’t and that she was just an employee. I told her she needed to talk to whomever she had to so that I would get the charge refunded back to my CC. And, that I’m very upset because one, I was charged almost $100 dollars and my t.v. isn’t activated, and two, activation and Roku account are supposed to be free. She says uh, hold on. A different woman comes on, doesn’t give me her name,, she asks me what problem am I having, and I told her that Sharon was supposed to talk to someone to get my money refunded. She said I will help you set it up, I told her absolutely not, just refund my money. She said that someone would call me back the next day! I said no, your going to get my money refunded back to my CC. She puts me on hold, 3 seconds later a man gets on the line, doesn’t tell me his name. He says to me, ma’am what is your problem. So I proceed to tell him the problem and I wanted my CC refunded. He said ma’am, no customer has ever called back asking for a refund. So I tell him all the reasons why I’m demanding they refund my money and they weren’t even supposed to charge me. He says that it’s new policy and that it now costs for activation and it’s two separate pkgs, that are available. He said ma’am your my last call of the day, I’m going home, but, I’ll get the biling department to call you back. I was so upset and frustrated and in a more stern voice I said, let me talk to someone that is above you so that I can find out why I was charged when I shouldn’t have been. He says ma’am it’s a new charge because of covid. I told him, first you said it’s was a new policy to charge and now your saying it’s because of covid, and he kept trying to talk over me with a perturbed voice, but I keep saying I waa lied to and that one representative says one thing then the next representative says another. And, I tell him,, then you get on the phone, and I don’t even know why I’ve had to talk to two representatives for one and why I’m having to talk to you now, repeating myself to 3 different people. He trys to talk over me, but I don’t even give him the chance to stop me from talking and listen to him. After I finish saying what I had to,, his response was yeah, yeah, yeah in a condescending way and puts me on hold. Then a second later another woman gets on the phone, so I tell her let me speak to someone above you and she says that her supervisor said they can’t refund my money and that I would have to wait till the next day for the billing department to call me, because they have all gone to their homes for the day. I tell her I’m not waiting till the next day, put someone on the phone that’s above you because y’all are going to refund my money back to me,, and, she hung up on me!
So I call my CC company and they do a three way call, the representative we were speaking to was named Rebecca, she tells us that she can activate the t.v. The CC representative tells her this is the problem and we need to address the issue of being refunded for a service that was supposed to be free and that I paid for it and the Roku t.v. isn’t activated to work and is this something we can resolve. Rebecca says yes, the billing department would call me back in the morning, the CC company says, so simeonwill definitely call her back in the morning, she says yes definitely. I called them at 9 a.m., it says that the representatives were all busy, but I was in the first position and the hold time was 22 minutes. And automated voice came on every 30 seconds telling me how much longer the wait would be. Once it got to telling me my call would be answered in 15 seconds that was after I had waited the 25 minutes and not the 22 minutes it had initially said my wait time was. So for the next 35 minutes the automated voice came on every 20 seconds to tell me my call would be answered in 15 seconds, it told me that 137 times! I took a screen shot every 15 seconds until I had been on hold for 1 hour! I took screenshots every 15 seconds 137 times. INSANITY, these people need to be held accountable. Please, someone do something!

Scammer’s phone 8883250886

Scammer’s address 640 Bailey Road Pittsburgh, California 94565

Scammer’s email [email protected]

Country United States

Type of a scam Tech Support

Initial means of contact Internet messaging (e.g., WhatsApp)

This company claims you have to pay money to them in order to make a Roku device work. They will tell you that your Roku devices will not work if you don’t pay them any money. If you get an error code just try again do not go to the website or call the number.

Scammer’s phone 916 412 0381 844 540 7444

Scammer’s address 92 pittsburg,ca

Scammer’s email [email protected]

Country United States

Type of a scam Advance Fee Loan

Initial means of contact Not applicable

This company misrepresented themselves as Roku customer service and sold me a service that should have been free of charge. When I tried to contact them, I was unable to. The cost was over $100 and somehow they changed my email address, which is really a concern!

Victim Location 60098

Total money lost $80

Type of a scam Credit Cards

We bought a Roku box from Walmart and needed gelp with the install and wound up being directed to Colossus Ventures who claimed we needed to pay a 1 time fee of $80.00. We did, but immediately called Roku after a gentleman by the name of "Chris" started calling us and emailing us wanting us to sign something regarding the fee. THIS IS A SCAM. When we called for a refund, we were swore at and belittled by Chris.

Victim Location 29477

Total money lost $106

Type of a scam Credit Cards

THIS IS A SCAM…..I was ripped off for 106.00 when I set up my Roku device. The person on the line told me that the 106.00 would be for a lifetime of Roku service. Didn’t realize that I had been scammed until I got ready to setup a second device

Victim Location 53533

Total money lost $2,689

Type of a scam Tech Support

They have conned me out of monies for supposed computer virus coverage ($1189) and then they have called regarding returning my money but instead of refunding me they conned me again and this time for $1500. I have so many phone numbers that they have used and names. They are still calling trying to get more information out of me and saying they are our computer people. Phone numbers they have used are: 800-763-1922, 608-234-4157, 145-6031, 559-1345, 438-8369, 907-2391; 207-352-3791, 341-6624, 341-6629, 341-5800; 608-348-5567, 425-6884, 329-2833, 291-6383; 705-461-6347; 928-322-6875; 740-552-4738; 630-838-9868; 715-229-3100; 707-388-8261; 860-615-9136. Names of people I talked to was Patrick Wilson (the most one that called. Heavy Indian accent, probably a fake name), Sam and a Brandon. The number 207-352-3791 was from Portland ME. Number 866-531-2794 was from a Brandon from a Evangelical Covenant Church, (in Helena MT 59601) with a number of 406-442-6813. Probably spoofed phone numbers. I am very upset and frustrated to say the least.