Utility Scams are on the Rise, Home Owners Beware

As if IRS and Banking scams, computer and cell carrier hustles, census fraud and government grant hoaxes weren’t enough, there are scams perpetrated via every communication device, by mail, phone, text and email and sadly, in person as well. A recent addition to the ever-growing profession of scam-creation, are utility scams.

The government tracks known scams and identity theft schemes, and offers useful information to help educate the public. The USA.gov website provides a long list of common shakedowns, contact information for reporting scams and a list of Do’s and Don’ts for each incident. In addition, there’s an entire section on protecting your privacy. For your convenience we’ve provided a link to that here.

Typical utility scams include alarming threats such as immediate shut-off of the utility. As mentioned in the article below, for utility specific scams you can visit Utilities United Against Scams, an organization created to rais awareness and help protect consumers from utility fraud. The UUAS offers a pamphlet titled Consumer’s Guide to Impostor Utility Scams. The description is as follows: ”The Consumer’s Guide to Impostor Utility Scams is an educational guide that provides key information to consumers and community leaders on the types of impostor utility scams that are occurring across the country (phone, in-person, and internet), tips to avoid scams that individuals can use and share with their communities, and names and contact information for the entities and organizations that may be called upon in case someone becomes a victim of an impostor scam.” and you can view and download the guide on their website.

Utility Scams are on the Rise, Home Owners Beware

By John Voket

Lately, there’s been a growing chorus warning utility customers to be hyper-aware of unscrupulous callers and visitors set on stealing everything from an energy supplier authorization to your personal and financial data and your hard-earned cash.

As we make our way through the winter season, utility companies want customers to be reminded about common utility scams – and have banded together to promote a comprehensive and far-reaching #StopScam awareness campaign.

According to this consortium of over 100 energy companies branded Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS), a growing number of gas, electricity, water and communications consumers are getting calls on the phone and even encountering these imposters at their front doors.

So UUAS is partnering with the media and law enforcement to amplify their advisories.

A common utility con involves a caller claiming to be a utility billing representative claiming that you have an overdue bill, and in order to avoid an immediate shut-off, you must provide a credit card number or prepaid debit card.

Sadly, scammers are meeting with great success using this tactic. While the median monetary loss for all scam victims is $274, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) says the median loss for a utility scam victim is $500.

In fact, the BBB has found people more susceptible to utility scams than they are to Internal Revenue Service scams.

Utility customers are advised to read and heed these reminders – and share them with everyone in the household:

All UUAS member utility employees carry photo identification
Field workers generally wear clothing with the company logo and drive company vehicles. When in doubt, do not allow them in – and if they persist, call 911
UUAS utility representatives never demand instant payment in person – or over the phone
Utility representatives from UUAS companies do not require the use of prepaid debit cards (such as Green Dot MoneyPak, Vanilla or Reloadit)
UUAS reps will never request customers meet them at a payment center, such as a department or grocery store, to make a payment
None of the UUAS utilities solicit door-to-door – or on the phone on behalf of third-party energy suppliers

The Utilities United Against Scams website (utilitiesunited.org) provides more information on how to protect personal information and avoid becoming a victim of utility scams.