PUEBLO — As we finally start to see warmer temperatures, you may get an unexpected call from someone claiming they can help you save money on those summer cooling bills. News5 spoke with a viewer in Pueblo who says his experience with a suspicious call is something we should all be aware of.
Whether they’re calling with a promise to save you money on your bills, or with a threat to turn off your services, consumer protection experts say you need to be aware of utility imposter calls. They can be convincing and if you aren’t careful they could cost you money, or your sensitive information opening the door to identity theft, or future scam calls.
”I got a phone call from a person saying they were representing Black Hills Energy and they wanted to inform us of a program that was government mandated for energy savings,” said Pueblo resident Mark Maestas.
Maestas says not only was this an unexpected call, but also, the first time he’s ever been called by someone claiming to be from his utility company.
”Then they said, well you definitely qualify and I got very suspicious when she started asking me how much you spend on energy,” said Maestas.
If this was really the utility company, he believes this is information they would already have. So, he decided to hang up
”They tried calling back three more times and that’s when I put the caller ID on block,” said Maestas.
He then called Black Hills Energy and says the company told him this is not a call it would ever make.
”It not only hurts the customer, but it hurts the company as well,” said Maestas.
News5 followed up with Black Hills Energy about this experience, which prompted concern from leaders at the electric company who sent this statement that reads in part…
“If someone calls claiming to represent your local utility and they demand immediate payment or personal information, hang up and call the customer service number on your utility bill. Please don’t give in to a high-pressure visit or call seeking personal information or attempting to sell you anything,” wrote Julie Rodriguez, spokesperson for Black Hills Energy.
Maestas says he’s glad he spoke up about what happened.
”Trying to get people to not keep it to themselves,” said Maestas. “Like I’ve said, if I’m getting the phone call somebody else out there is getting it too.”
Unfortunately we’ve seen in some cases fraudsters will even pose as utility workers showing up at people’s homes. Remember, you can always ask these employees or contractors to wait outside while you call the utility company to verify they are legitimate.
For more advice from the consumer protection experts visit: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/scammers-pretend-be-your-utility-company
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