Scam artists posing as utility company employees have been contacting small businesses and residential energy customers of Wisconsin Public Service, requesting money for “delinquent” accounts. The WPS customers have been told that utility payments have not been received and their power is about to be disconnected. The caller says the customers has an hour or two to make payment to avoid disconnection. A major red flag is that customers were told to purchase prepaid debit cards and then call back to make a payment. Another version has the rate-payer providing cash for pickup.
The utility says it will NEVER provide these kind of instructions for making payment on an account. Threats of immediate disconnection are a sign that customers have been contacted by a scammer.
To confirm suspicions, customers should follow these tips and report the behavior…
*Calmly write down any information the caller provides to you. Take note of the call date and time, caller ID, a description of the caller and any details revealed to you by the caller. Do not provide any private information or banking information.
*Contact your utility to verify that the call is legitimate.
*If not, call the police to report the scam.
Customers who may have been scammed in this fashion should contact police.
