18 Nov
This week, Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) will support International Fraud Awareness Week and will recognize the eighth annual Utility Scam Awareness Day on Wednesday, November 20. Utility Scam Awareness Day is an advocacy and awareness campaign focused on educating customers about, and exposing, scammer tactics.
In recent years, utilities have seen increased reports of their customers/members being contacted by scammers who pose as utility workers in an attempt to access their financial information or to obtain immediate payment by threatening service interruptions. These are known as utility impostor scams. Examples include:
Search engine scams
Scammers create fake sponsored utility payment pages on search engines like Google to trick customers. If you need to pay your utility bill and want to do so online, be sure to only visit the website listed on your utility bill. Check the URL and make sure it matches the URL on the bill.
Mobile Payment app scams
Scammers tell customers to pay their utility bill through an instant mobile payment app like Zelle or Venmo. Remember that utilities will never ask you to pay your bill through a third-party app.
Phishing/smishing
Scammers use phishing and smishing tactics over email and phone calls to trick customers. Phishing is when scammers send fraudulent emails disguised as utility emails to gain customers’ personal information or steal money. Smishing is short for SMS phishing, when fraudulent texts are sent. Always verify emails and texts are actually from your utility.
Visit www.utilitiesunited.org for information and tips on how customers can protect themselves from impostor utility scams. Follow along with UUAS on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation by using #StopScams.