Scammers now are using your utility bill to attempt to dupe customers. Scammers reportedly are making calls to customers pretending to be representatives from companies like ConEd, Duke Energy, Georgia Power, Consumers Energy, or even a bogus utility company called General Electric, among others. They’ll threaten to shut off power or service if customers don’t pay immediately. They’ll offer an “energy assistance” or payment plan and ask for the customer’s payment information.
Warning! Utility Bill Fraud on the upswing
“Scammers are constantly looking for new ways to defraud consumers, and we’ve seen triple-digit growth in utility company scams in the past year,” Jan Volzke, vice president of Reputation Data at Hiya, told Forbes.com. “While many consumers now know to be wary of calls claiming to be from the IRS or offering a free cruise that seems too good to be true, the latest threat comes disguised in the form of the utility companies that we trust to provide our basic services, like gas and electricity.”
Some indicators to watch for: Representatives that demand customers pay by prepaid debit card or by a wire transfer (utility companies accept check or credit card and will generally direct customers to one of their payment locations). Also, don’t let anyone in your home claiming to be a utility company representative if you don’t have a scheduled appointment or have reported a problem. When in doubt, hang up the phone and call the customer service number for the utility company to make sure you are actually talking to a legit representative.
A utility bill, what is next? These scammers are really making it hard for everyone out there. If you have any advice that you would like to share with us, we would love to hear from you. To send us your comments simply click here.
