11/17/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/17/2021 11:38
Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746
Public inquiries: 517-335-7622
November 17, 2021
LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reissuing consumer alerts focused on impersonation scams as today, Nov. 17, marks Utility Scam Awareness Day.
Nessel's Utility Imposter Scams Consumer Alert educates consumers on ways bad actors will impersonate utility employees in an effort to obtain money or personal information from an unsuspecting customer.
Utility Scam Awareness Day was created by Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS), a consortium of 145 U.S. and Canadian electric, water, and natural gas companies and their respective trade associations.
"We know there's a direct correlation between entering the winter months and a rise in utility imposter scams," Nessel said. "Don't fall for scammers who contact you with a demand for money or personal information in exchange for keeping your service going. If you have any doubt about a caller, or suspect the call may be fraudulent, contact your utility using the phone number on your most recent bill and ask to speak to a customer service representative. You should also file a complaint with my office."
Last month, Nessel reissued her Government Imposter Scams Consumer Alert, which is the same scam approach, only the bad actors use legitimate government references and the threat of government action to trick individuals into taking action that facilitates theft. The alert was reissued after the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs learned licensees were being targeted.
Just this week, Michigan State Police warned residents of scam calls where con artists are spoofing their phone numbers, making their numbers appear as MSP numbers on caller ID. Spoofing is a way in which bad actors can appear to be a legitimate entity when conducting an impersonation scam.
Signs of potential imposter scam activity:
How utility customers can protect themselves:
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