Customers and business owners should be on the alert for a new utility scam targeting the Kansas City area.
According to a Board of Public Utilities spokesman, scammers are targeting small businesses using software that makes it appear that the utility’s phone number is on Caller ID.
A caller in the scam warns that utility services will be disconnected if the customer fails to make an immediate payment, the spokesman said. Then the caller provides a phone number for customers to call to make the payment. However, it is a scam and the phone number is not associated with the BPU, the spokesman said.
Recently, about three dozen businesses received such calls, but fortunately, none of them fell for the scam, a BPU spokesman stated.
“We’ve been notified by customers who have been targeted with this strategy; in fact even small businesses in KCMO have received such calls by these scammers using this software making it look like the call is coming from BPU. We don’t serve customers in KCMO,” stated David Mehlhaff, BPU chief communications officer.
Mehlhaff added that customers who suspect they are being scammed should never provide any personal or banking information. They should hang up and contact the BPU Customer Service Department directly at 913-573-9190.
BPU stated electric customers have been targeted by scammers using a variety of such scam attempts for a number of years in several states besides Kansas, including Nebraska; Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; the District of Columbia; Florida; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Mississippi; Missouri; New Jersey; New York; Oklahoma; Texas; Wisconsin; and New Mexico.
BPU offers these tips to customers on protecting themselves if they are unsure about the identity of a call, email or visit from a utility representative:
– Never give credit or debit card, Social Security, ATM, checking or savings account numbers to anyone who comes to your home, calls, texts and/or sends an email requesting this information in respect to your utility bill, without verifying that is an authentic BPU call by either asking to see company identification or by calling BPU’s Customer Service Department.
– Be suspicious if you receive an email regarding your utility bill if you have not requested online communications from BPU.
– Never provide personal information via email or click any suspicious links or attachments.