Water bill scams surge in North Texas region

Dallas, Texas - In North Texas, there is an increasing concern regarding fraudulent activities related to false claims about overdue water utility fees. One recent victim of this scam is a hotel in Lewisville, which has amplified the seriousness of the situation. This is not the first time such scams have been reported in the area.

Lewisville law enforcement used their social media to warn businesses after noticing a rise in these fraudulent activities. A local hotel reported receiving a call claiming their water bill was overdue. They were provided a link for payment. "During the conversation, they were sent a link to an online cash app payment place that when you open the link, it showed the City of Lewisville logo as the icon, and then an amount of $8,500 was requested to prevent the water from being shut off,” stated City of Lewisville Spokesperson Matt Martucci.

Unfortunately, the hotel paid the amount before realizing the scam. "They found it weird enough that they actually came into our water department to talk to someone in our billing department, and that’s how we all found out what was going on,” Martucci added.

Investigations indicate that the scammers use caller ID spoofing to impersonate official city numbers. At least four other Lewisville hotels reported similar scams, with seemingly legitimate city office phone numbers.

Other cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are also affected. Following Lewisville's public warning, similar reports were received from other cities. The City of Dallas advised its customers via its official water utility webpage to be cautious of scam calls and messages falsely claiming overdue payments. Similarly, the City of Irving warned its businesses about the scam, highlighting unauthorized payment methods, particularly through the Zelle app. Martucci emphasized that the city does not request cash payments or promote cash-based apps. Such requests are fraudulent.

No arrests have been made concerning this scam, emphasizing the importance of public awareness and caution as investigations proceed.

Credit: Dallas Metro News