Have you ever answered your phone and had that immediate feeling in your gut that something just wasn’t right? They say, always follow your gut.
Did you know that nearly 1 million consumers have filed fraud complaints so far this year, on track with the more than 1.2 million filed last year?* And, that’s likely just a fraction of the fraud being perpetrated in this country.
In one common “impostor scam,” someone pretending to be a utility employee calls and threatens shut-off within an hour if they do not receive immediate payment via a prepaid card, a gift card or even Bitcoins. Victims are given a phony phone number to call back after they have purchased the cards.
Scammers have grown sophisticated – using technology to spoof caller ID numbers and mimic voice prompts heard on a legitimate customer service line. When the customer calls back with payment, a fake representative asks for the prepaid card number, the number on the receipt or the gift card PIN. Within seconds the money is gone.
These thieves can – and do – target anyone. But they more often target small business customers because they have larger bills than residential customers, but don’t have the checks and balances of a large business.
Some stories are heartbreaking. An employee at an animal hospital withdrew money from her personal bank account to pay a thief. A dental assistant did the same. On the Friday before the busy Labor Day weekend, a pizzeria owner was conned out of $2,500. When told his payment did not go through, he paid again.
To combat these con artists, more than 100 utilities across North America – including PSE&G – have joined forces to share information, resources and scam-fighting best practices. The collaborative established the third Wednesday in November as “Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) Day” and Nov. 12 through 16 as UUAS Week.
There is a reason that scam call center busts in India continue to make news. Hiding behind an untraceable phone, sometimes half a world away, scammers know it’s doubtful they will be caught. By increasing customer awareness and educating people about how to spot a scam, we can spare many would-be victims and make the thieves’ underhanded job a lot harder.
*Statistics obtained from the Federal Trade Commission.