COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A Colorado Springs woman is speaking out to help others avoid being victims involving their utility bills.
Homeowner Eva Bentz, 64, feels lucky after narrowly escaping being taken advantage of by someone pretending to be from Colorado Springs Utilities.
“She said ‘This is COS Utilities. Are you aware that you have a shut-off notice on your utility account?’ I said no,” Bentz said.
The fake employee insisted that Bentz make an immediate payment by calling an 888 number or risk getting her service disconnected. Bentz said she knew that the number wasn’t the one from the Colorado Springs Utilities website but she was inclined to call the suspicious number they provided since the call was made on the day that her bill was due.
“And then the person answered ‘billing department’ and not Colorado Springs Utilities. And that’s when I knew,” she said.
A spokesperson for Colorado Springs Utilities confirmed this is not part of their bill-collecting process.
“As a community-owned utility, that is something that we would never do. We never threaten disconnection,” said Alex Trefry, spokesperson for Colorado Springs Utilities.
Instead, Trefry said customers will get a notice in the mail and on their online accounts. Then, someone from Colorado Springs Utilities will call to inform them about their late bill.
“If they want to confirm the legitimacy of the call and make sure that they work for Colorado Springs Utilities, they should hang up and call Colorado Springs Utilities,” Trefry said.
Bentz said she’ll follow this advice in the future and hopes others will too.
"Just be skeptical. If it doesn’t sound right, if you don’t know exactly who’s calling you, just don't give them any money,” Bentz said.
The Colorado Springs Utilities website has a full list of ways that you can avoid someone who is trying to steal your money while posing as a utility employee. If you believe you’ve been a victim of something similar, file a police report with the Colorado Springs Police Department.
