EASTHAMPTON – Police are warning the public to be aware of scams being executed over the phone after several business owners reported recently that they were threatened with shutting off a utility unless they provided immediate payment.
“If you are hearing for the first time about overdue payments, and a same-day demand for payment to avoid shut off, it is likely a scam,” Easthampton Police Detective Dennis R. Scribner wrote in a statement. “There are strict regulations governing the shut off of utilities, and the legal process includes several notices being sent to customers first.”
Scribner said scammers frequently threaten to shut off a utility service, fines or jail sentences in an attempt to swindle money from people. If the caller asks that money be wired or put on a prepaid card, it is likely a scam, he wrote.
Customers should ask for credentials or verification of their account when approached or called by someone about the status of their utility account. They can consider calling police, their utility company or the Department of Public Utilities for further information and can report scams to the state attorney general’s office or the Federal Trade Commission, Scribner wrote.