New Canaan Police Warn of Electric Company Scam

Police are warning residents and businesses in town to be wary of people calling claiming that electric bills are overdue.

On Dec. 29 police received a complaint that someone called local businesses and said electricity would be shut off if the victim didn’t provide a credit card number to pay an overdue bill.

The scam has been reported throughout Fairfield County and both residences as well as small businesses have been targeted.

According to the Eversource, company representatives never demand instant payment, and do not require the use of prepaid debit cards. In addition, please remember the following tips:

• Never provide personal financial or utility account information to any unsolicited individual, in person, on the phone, or online, even if the individual seems legitimate.
• Customers who are scheduled for disconnection due to nonpayment receive written notice that includes the actions they can take to maintain service.
• Customers can verify they are speaking with an Eversource representative by asking for some basic information about their account like the name on the account, the account address, and the exact past due balance.

Eversource urges anyone who has any doubts about a call or a home visit to contact the company directly at 1-800-286-2000, and to report the incident to local police immediately.

This scam is similar to “Green Dot scams,” where victims are told they can avoid penalties by purchasing Green Dot MoneyPak prepaid gift cards at a store. The victims are told to call back and provide the gift card serial number. Once the scammer has the serial number, they are able to transfer those funds.

More at: https://www.eversource.com/Content/nh/residential/safety/protect-you-your-family-from-scams