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SALT LAKE CITY — Imagine how frightening this would be: The electric company calls to say crews are on their way to your home to shut off the power because of your overdue bill.
Many Utah homes and business are receiving similar calls, but they are nothing more than a scam.
Rocky Mountain Power customer Jose Godoy got just such a call. His electric bill was paid in full, so he assumed there was a mistake. The caller said he’d better send some money immediately because the company was sending a truck to disconnect Godoy’s power.
Caller ID showed a local number. The person said they were from the electric company, according to Godoy.
His wife, Judy, immediately called the customer service center at Rocky Mountain Power instead of sending any money, which was a smart move. She wanted to argue that her bill was paid in full, but that wasn't necessary. Rocky Mountain Power already knew it.
The company told her the call received earlier was a fraud, a stranger trying to steal money.
“She said, ‘Everything is fine. You guys are current,’ “ Judy said.
This was not the first time the customer service staff heard of a caller trying to trick customers into sending money with the threat of shutting off the power. Rocky Mountain Power said it does not threaten its customers.
"If someone calls and says, 'Give us money or we're going to shut off your power,' they are not from Rocky Mountain Power,” said company spokesman Paul Murphy.
- Send a letter
- Call to try to straighten out the mistake
- Call and offer assistance in paying a late bill
Thieves also have targeted businesses. Callers demand the business send money immediately or service will be shut off. If there is a mistake, the caller said they’ll fix it later. Thieves count on a business owner’s desire to keep the power on at their establishment — for example, a restaurant — by paying first and arguing about it later.
"It's a scam. Avoid it, and take every precaution to make sure you don't give them a cent,” Murphy advised.
He suggested telling employees, also, so they don’t mistakenly send money. Once a homeowner or business sends the money, it vanishes, usually overseas.
The trick seems to be working — scammers appear to be making some money.
“It's been going on for years, all across the country, and unfortunately it's happening here in Utah as well," Murphy said.
The local phone number seen in caller ID is actually the result of phone number spoofing. It’s a way of making the caller's number appear to be something else.
“They'll actually spoof the number so that (the customer) picks up the phone and it looks like it's coming from Rocky Mountain Power, but it isn't,” Murphy said.
