UTLITY SCAM HITS ARKANSAS
LITTLE ROCK – It has been a long, hot summer, leaving many Arkansas consumers, especially low-income consumers in need of assistance to meet higher than normal energy bills. Today Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued a consumer alert to warn Arkansans that there is a scam afoot designed to take advantage of Arkansas consumers looking for help with utility bills.
Scam artists are always trying to design new ways to defraud people out of their hard-earned money. Recently, the Public Protection Department of the Attorney General’s Office has received reports that scam artists are targeting utility customers by offering “grants” to assist with high summer bills.
Entergy Arkansas and CenterPoint Energy have both reported complaints from customers being contacted by individuals claiming to offer financial assistance.
While the offer may appear to be legitimate, there is no grant program and promise of assistance is empty. The catch is that scam artist informs the customer that he or she must pay a portion of the bill, but that the “agency” will send in the total amount to the utility company.
After the suspect procures the customer’s money, he may even call in a payment through Bill Matrix, a legitimate third party that customers can use to pay bills electronically. But, the transaction is fraudulent, the customer’s bill remains unpaid and the amount the customer gave to the scam artist is gone. Incidents reported in this latest scam have been solicited via telephone and by door-to-door representatives.
"If you are contacted by a stranger who wants to give you money or offering financial assistance, no matter how good the offer, consumers should be suspicious" said McDaniel. “Legitimate assistance organizations rarely solicit opportunities to give away money.” McDaniel offered these tips to avoid becoming a victim of the latest utility scam:
- Never give out your personal bank account information to anyone you don't know and don't trust;
- Never pay cash in advance of receiving offered assistance. If you have to pay to receive the assistance, it is not free
- Never wire money to strangers;
- Never fall for high-pressure tactics—if the offer is legitimate you should have ample time to verify its source and the legitimacy of the agency or organization involved.
- If you have questions about energy assistance programs, contact your utility company for more information.
You may also contact the Public Protection Department of the Attorney General’s Office at 501-682-2341 or 1-800-482-8982.