Making customers pay immediately and over the phone is a huge red flag.
SAN ANTONIO — With winter weather warnings across the country, the Better Business Bureau is issuing its own warning: scammers may try to take advantage of this week’s cold weather to get your money.
The BBB says you need to be wary of texts, phone calls or emails from your utility company… the one the greatest number of people fall for, scams claiming that they will shut your heat off immediately unless payment is made immediately.
Jason Meza, a BBB spokesperson told us, “Scammers, they thrive on this emotional manipulation, and they try to get people to the back against the wall. We need immediate payment. They want it through an unsecure means that’s untraceable, many times a gift card, even peer-to-peer payment systems.”
The Public Utility Commission of Texas says an electric utility company cannot disconnect a customer anywhere in its service area on a day when the previous day’s highest temperature did not exceed 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and the temperature is predicted to remain at or below that level for the next 24 hours. Meza added, “It is against Texas code for a utility company to cut power, especially during an emergency unless there’s a known unsafe condition.”
The BBB recommends customers review their utility provider’s policies and scam prevention guidelines and remain calm. Complaints against a utility company for failure to comply with any of the Public Utility Commission of Texas’ rules can be filed here.
Meza said, “If we see a pattern or identify a system of threats that are coming down, we can then go to these commissions and these companies and say, listen, we identified a pattern. We see the names. It’s playing out. We’re going to pass this along to law enforcement.”