May 16, 2022
There have been recent reports of utility scams impacting our local bank areas and exploiting the aftermath of the storms that our communities have experienced. Scammers are targeting the area and telling their targeted victims that their service will be disconnected unless a payment is made via Zelle. The payment will claim to be needed to made via a P2P platform due to system issues from the storm. The caller may also have the customer's name and address.
Please keep in mind the P2P platform (Zelle, CashApp, Facebook Pay, etc.) may vary. If you encounter this scam, you should not send any funds and you should report the scam to your utility provider.
Utility companies will send multiple disconnection notices before shutting off service and offers several bill payment options. They will never demand payment via P2P platforms.
Utility companies will send multiple disconnection notices before shutting off service and offers several bill payment options. They will never demand payment via P2P platforms.
Resources:
- NorthWestern Energy Scam Alerts: northwesternenergy.com/scamalert
- FTC Consumer Advice: consumer.ftc.gov/articles/scammers-pretend-be-your-utility-company
Ways to Identify Phishing Attempts:
- Correspondence is unexpected and contains a sense of urgency.
- Offer comes from an unknown entity with whom you have no previous relationship.
- Contact information on correspondence does not align with published and trusted contact information for the business it appears to be coming from.
- Account number cited on correspondence does not match your actual account number.
- Sensitive information is requested, such as usernames, passwords, financial information, personal information, etc.