Scammers using utilities to target victims

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Utility Scam Awareness Day was Nov. 20, serving as a reminder from AEP Ohio to consumers to stay vigilant and recognize the signs of potential utility-related scams, especially with cold temperatures in the forecast.  

"They could be knocking on your door, they could be emailing you, they could be calling you over the phone,” AEP Ohio Customer Experience Manager Julia Ivinskas said. 

“They” are imposters posing as water, gas, or electric company employees, but Ivinskas said it's all an attempt to trick customers. 

"These scammers create, like, a sense of urgency, that something needs to be done to avoid something bad happening,” Ivinskas said. “In our case, it's typically, ‘You need to pay this immediately, or we're going to disconnect your power.' And we always like to remind customers that our field personnel will never knock on your door and ask you to pay them if you're up for disconnect.” 

It's not just AEP Ohio customers who need to stay alert, though. The Newark Division of Police recently issued a warning about a utility bill scam making the rounds in which an email appears to come from the City of Newark Water Department, claiming customers have overdue water bills, and includes a link to "view the bill." 

But the department said it "will notify you by mail to your physical address if the water service to your property is in jeopardy of disconnect for outstanding bills. We do not email termination notices for outstanding bills.” 

So, if someone comes to your home, gives you a call, or sends a message claiming to be a utility company representative, you can protect yourself by closing the door, hanging up, or not responding. 

"One of the best things you can do is log into your account at aepohio.com, and there you can see your total account balance,” Ivinskas said. “You can see any past due balance and also see if your account is up for disconnect, and what date that would occur on."  

Or call the company yourself.  

"They can pull up your account, review your account balance with you, and also let you know if an AEP Ohio employee truly did try to contact you for some reason,” Ivinskas said. 

If you feel like you've had a suspicious utility-related encounter, Ivinskas suggested contacting local law enforcement, and then the utility company.  

And of course, you can always call Better Call 4.