Clark Public Utilities, which provides electricity to over 200,000 customers across Clark County, is sounding the alarm after what they describe as a “wave of sophisticated scams targeting customers with phone calls, automated calls and email phishing” has washed over the county.
The utility reports that some individuals and businesses have already fallen for the scam and, as a public nonprofit utility, they will not be able to refund or credit the customer’s account. They encourage anyone who has been scammed to call the police but noted that even then, it’s not likely customers will get their money back.
“No one believes they could fall for a scam, but these schemes are extremely convincing and prey on all customers, but especially the most vulnerable,” said Clark Public Utilities CEO and General Manager Wayne Nelson in a news release. “We are asking our customers to be extremely cautious when they receive a call or email from anyone claiming or appearing to be from the utility. If a call threatens disconnection and demands payment, we want customers to hang up and call our customer service directly to check the account status.”
According to the utility, they aren’t the only ones under attack as similar scams are being seen across the nation. Several electric industry associations are working with national law enforcement agencies to stop the crimes.
“These scams operate from places around the world and are very intricately designed. Until law enforcement can eliminate this criminal activity, it’s imperative that we and our customers remain vigilant,” Nelson said in the release.
How the scams work
According to Clark Public Utilities, scammers are using spoof websites to make the caller ID display “Clark Public Utilities,” coupled with the number appearing to be local.
“The recorded message the customer hears sounds similar to the Clark Public Utilities automated phone system greeting,” the release reads. “The person who then gets on the phone might even know the customer’s address, information that is available via other public sources, and will claim the customer owes an amount close to that of a typical power bill or two. It can be very convincing. Finally, the caller will threaten to shut off the power within minutes or hours if payment is not made immediately.”
The fraudsters then instruct the victim to buy prepaid debit cards from area stores and provide a number for them to call to make a payment.
“Early in the conversation customers should recognize several red flags,” Nelson said in the release. “Our customer service representatives will never call and demand payment with the threat of immediate disconnection. It’s not how we operate. We’ll also never require that customers load payments on a prepaid card. If the person on the line ever asks for that form of payment, customers should hang up immediately.”
Other scams reported by Clark Public Utilities include emails that look like they’re from the utility asking customers to click on a link which will talk them through updating their account information or making a payment. The utility warns people to correctly input their website address into a web browser (www.clarkpublicutilities.com) if they are managing their accounts online and avoid clicking on links to connect to their accounts.
The utility also says to look out for threats.
“For customers who are behind on utility bills, a call from the utility should never be a surprise,” the release reads. “Clark Public Utilities will call or visit a home when bills are long overdue, but only after mailing several missed payment notices. Even in these cases, customers are encouraged to be cautious, hang up or close the door, and call the utility directly at (360) 992-3000. Customer service representatives will never be offended because customers are careful. Additionally, any Clark Public Utilities employee visiting a customer home or business will have visible identification and can be location verified at any time by calling customer service.”
