THERE ARE MANY KINDS OF SCAMMERS OUT THERE!

3 Alive-and-Well Utilities Scams to Avoid----information from trans-union credit reporting !

Utilities scams are as old as some power, water and phone companies themselves. Scammers are getting smarter, but you can too. Here’s how.

 

Identity thieves and cybercriminals are getting a lot of attention, and recent data breaches have exposed unprecedented amounts of personal information. It’s easy to lose sight of less-headline-grabbing, but similarly dangerous scams that can happen right under your roof. Here’s how to guard against these 3 still-effective utilities scams.

Scam #1: “Pay your overdue bill now or we’ll shut your power off.”
What to guard: Your credit card information

This type of scam has been around for a while, but still happens. Essentially, someone will call you posing as a power or water company employee. They’ll tell you you’re behind on payments, and if you don’t pay up right then over the phone, they’ll shut your power or water off. All they’ll need is your credit card number, expiration date and security code to settle your debts.

This type of scam has gotten even more sophisticated in recent years. That’s because some scammers have figured out how to show the utility company’s phone number on your caller ID when they’re calling. If this happens to you, it’s best to hang up and call your utility back at the number listed on your bill.

Scam #2: “I can help you restore power”
What to guard: Your cash and valuables

In this type of scam, a thief or thieves will target a neighborhood that has experienced a power outage. The scammer will go to someone’s door wearing an official-looking uniform and tell the resident that, for a certain amount of cash, they can restore power at that very moment.

Sometimes, this scam has been perpetrated by two people posing as power-company employees. Once let into your house, one of them will distract you, while the other starts stealing valuables.

In any case, if someone shows up at your door claiming they’re from the power company, you don’t have to let them in. Simply call your provider to verify whether or not they sent personnel over. You should also know it’s almost always the case that utilities will not demand cash payment on the spot—so that alone should make you suspicious.

Scam #3: “I can help you save on your energy bill”
What to guard: Your account number

This one can happen in person or over the phone and tends to occur in states where you can choose your energy supplier. Someone will pretend to be from the power company or a competing energy supplier, and they’ll say they can get you a cheaper energy bill. All they’ll need is your account number to get started.

With this information, the scammers could pretend they’re you and have the address on file changed to their address. Then, they could get free electricity at that new address on your account. One of the worst aspects of this type of fraud is criminals can end up getting your bills sent to their address, which makes the crime even harder to discover.

Bottom line

You can avoid these scams and others by closely guarding your personal and financial information. It also helps to exercise caution. For further peace of mind and protection, though, particularly for scam #3, a good credit monitoring service can be incredibly valuable.

With Credit Monitoring, if someone steals your account number and takes your account over,, you can look for:

• Strange addresses on your accounts
• New and unfamiliar accounts