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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: power company, Scams ( 1,368 ), shut off scam ( 17 ), utility scam ( 31 )   

  Scammers are hyper-focused on local issues 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Whenever there’s a national crisis or a disaster that garners national headlines, you can bet that the scammers will come out of the woodwork. Some scammers even pop up for international matters too, like the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. If we listed all the scams they usually perpetrate during such times, we’d be here all day. But it’s not just national and international matters that the scammers are tuned into. If there’s an issue in your town that people can take advantage of, they will.

  For example, in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, their local power company is having a bit of a PR nightmare with their customer billing. At least 19,000 customers of Memphis Light Gas and Water have not received a bill in months. MLGW had installed digital meters for their customers, but water from the winter storms got into some of the meters, causing the readings to go haywire. MLGW is trying to get the customers’ bills corrected, but in the confusion, scammers have stepped in.

  This was a perfect storm of opportunity for scammers to employ the shut-off scam. The utility shut-off scam is a type of fraud where scammers impersonate representatives from a utility company, such as an electricity or gas company, and threaten to disconnect the victim’s service if they do not immediately pay a supposed outstanding balance. Since MLGW controls power, gas, and water, the scammers really had their victims over a barrel. One MLGW customer was threatened with shut-off by the scammers and ended up wiring $3,000 to the scammers.

  Utility companies, no matter how big or small, do not threaten immediate termination of service over the phone. If your account is behind, you’ll receive several warnings in the mail before service is terminated. You should even be notified of the day when services will be scheduled to be terminated.

  If you receive one of these phone calls, hang up the phone, and verify the legitimacy of any communication from a utility company by calling the company directly using a number that is listed on their official website or on the back of a bill. Also, please keep in mind that utility companies will typically never demand immediate payment using untraceable methods like wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or payment apps. They will usually offer payment plans or other forms of assistance to help customers who may be behind on their account.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on June 22, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: electric company, power company, Scams ( 1,368 ), shut off scam ( 17 ), utility scam ( 31 )   

  Scams rise with temperature 

  

  By Greg Collier

  With many areas around the country experiencing lengthy heatwaves, there’s been an increase in utility or shut-off scams. The shut-off scam has been rather popular with scammers the past couple of years, but these scams increase in frequency during the cold of winter and the height of summer. That’s because this scam relies on their victims having the fear of losing their heating or cooling during extreme weather conditions, such as the current heatwaves.

  The way the scam typically works is the scammer will call the victim posing as their local power company. The scammer will say that the victim is delinquent in their payment, and if the victim doesn’t make an immediate payment, the power will be turned off in a matter of minutes. Previously, we have seen reports of scammers demanding payment in gift cards, prepaid debit cards, and cryptocurrency. That’s because these forms of payment are largely untraceable.

  Recently, the state of North Carolina has reported an upswing in the shut-off scam. If you’ve never been to North Carolina, the state experiences brutal summers with oppressive humidity almost every year. Scammers there have been posing as Duke Energy, which is one of the largest power companies in the country. With many fearing they’ll lose their air conditioning, the scam has been able to find a number of victims. While losses to this scam are usually in the hundreds of dollars, that money could be all that victim has to feed their family or pay other bills.

  As with many scams, it only takes a little bit of knowledge to prevent yourself from being taken advantage of. In this case, it’s the fact that utility companies will not call you about a delinquent bill. Instead, you’ll receive a notice in the mail stating your account is in arrears. If the power were to be shut off, you would receive a written warning of that date as well. And as always, no legitimate business is going to ask for payment in non-traditional ways such as gift cards, cryptocurrency, or apps like Venmo and Zelle.

  If you receive one of these calls, hang up and call your power company to make certain your account is in good standing. Then call your local police to let them know this scam is in your area.