No, you don’t have to pay to set up a streaming service like Roku on your TV

RALEIGH — Streaming services are very popular right now and scammers know that and are taking advantage of it.

This particular scam targets Roku customers and it happened when an ABC11 viewer purchased a new Roku and went online to register it. Instead of clicking on the legit Roku website, they clicked on a website not affiliated with Roku that offered to help set up the device. When he put the activation code in, he got this error with a number to call.

When he called the number and gave the representative his password and device information but then was asked to pay the $87 activation fee, and that’s where the scam comes in as there is no activation fee to set up a Roku.

Roku does have a warning on their website about this scam and it doesn’t just happen with Roku, but any company that requires an activation as it’s very easy for scammers to create copycat websites.

To prevent getting ripped off always make sure you’re on the right website, look for the lock symbol and https, which means it’s secure. If you’re asked to pay any money over the phone, hang up and research to make sure there is actually a fee, as once the scammer has your credit card information, they can do damage pretty quickly.