Some individuals or groups may pose as your utility provider or energy supplier to try to scam you. Common scams include callers claiming you need to pay for a new meter, saying you have overpaid your bill, or posing as your energy supplier and requesting personal information.
Below are ways to stay informed to protect yourself and others from energy scammers.
Verify the call.
Customer service representatives of your utility provider or energy supplier always provide you with the name on the utility account, the address of the account and its past due balance.
Don’t accept an offer for someone to pay your bills or provide a service for a fee. If the person on the phone claims to be your utility provider or energy supplier but asks you to buy gift cards or wire fees, hang up. The utility companies operating in Massachusetts will never ask their customers to purchase goods to settle an account’s balance.
Never immediately pay.
This includes wiring money to someone you don’t know. If a caller or email requests an immediate payment using a third-party service or location that has no affiliation with your energy supplier or urges you to buy a prepaid debit card, do not engage. Hang up and immediately contact your energy supplier and law enforcement: reporting this suspicious activity to your energy supplier and others can help prevent other potential victims of these scams.
If you are threatened with having your utility service shut off, understand that only utility providers have the authority to shut off utility service. A utility company is only able to shut off your service if your bill is unpaid and at least 45 days past due. The company must also send you a second payment request and a final notice, which must be at least 72 hours before your electric or gas service is turned off and 36 hours before your water service is turned off. Upon entering any premises and before shutting off service, the company representative must tell you that your service will be shut off
Don’t click on links in suspicious emails or texts.
Clicking on a link on your computer could potentially infect your computer with viruses and malware that could steal your information. Do not put in any personal information in a link that looks questionable.