Greg's Corner

Scammers take advantage of rolling blackouts

By Greg Collier

Many areas in the western part of the US are either dealing with wildfires or they’re trying to prevent them. This often requires power companies to schedule rolling blackouts to try to ensure that power infrastructure doesn’t exacerbate the problem. The power companies notify their customers when these outages are scheduled to take place, but not every customer gets the message, unfortunately.

This has led to a dramatic increase in the shut-off scam. This is when scammers will call their victims, posing as the power company. They’ll tell the victims that they’re behind in their payments and their service will be shut off in 30 minutes. The scammers will then demand payment in largely untraceable means, such as gift cards, cryptocurrency, or payments through apps like Zelle and Venmo.

Now, scammers are using the rolling blackouts to prove to customers that their power is actually being terminated. If the power were to stop working while a scammer was on the phone with their victim, that could lead the victim into making a panic payment.

If you live in an area dealing with wildfires or is in danger of wildfires, keep an eye on your local news or your power company’s website. This way, you’ll be better prepared if a rolling blackout affects your area.

But at the end of the day, this is the usual shut-off scam, just with better timing. Your utility companies will never call you and threaten you with service termination. If your account balance is behind, you would receive a notice in the mail about any scheduled termination. Also, utility companies will never ask for payment in non-traditional means like cryptocurrency.

If you receive a call like this, or even have someone show up at your home claiming to be a power company employee, call the power company directly at the phone number on your statement. No legitimate utility is ever only going to give you 30 minutes notice before shutting off your service.