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''Sopranos'' cause real-life crime--Viewers deny ordering HBO after new episodes air

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By Steve Daly

Steve Daly

Steve Daly is a senior writer at EW, and also author of EW.com's Money Shot column

Looks like some viewers are learning a thing or two from HBO's The Sopranos. ''Lots of people are calling up to order HBO on a Sunday when a new episode is on, then they call the next day, claim they never ordered HBO at all, and refuse to pay,'' says one New York-area cable-service telephone salesperson. ''It's been a billing nightmare.'' Another — less brazen — class of penny-pinching fan has been pulling the same Sunday-Monday scam, but gladly incurring a penalty fee each time, since it's still often cheaper than paying for a full month's uninterrupted subscription. So what does HBO think about these crime-boss-style shakedowns? ''We've not heard about this problem,'' says a spokesman. ''But we plan to look into it.''

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