A scam circulating in the Hermiston area involving prepaid debit cards continues to target customers of Umatilla Electric and Hermiston Energy Services.
According to Erica Sandoval, Hermiston Police Department’s crime prevention officer, the perpetrator calls the potential victim to warn them they’re late on their utility bill and their service will be cut off if they don’t pay immediately. The caller instructs the victim to purchase a money card and place a certain amount on the card.
The victim is then told to call back and provide the numbers from the money card in order to pay the bill. “Once the perpetrator has this info, they are untraceable and have gotten away with your money,” Sandoval says.
Scammers like prepaid debit cards because they don’t have to show a photo ID to spend money on the cards.
In one recent case at Hermiston, the potential victim had bought the card, placed more than $100 on it, but became suspicious and decided to contact her utility directly. “That’s exactly what we would recommend to anyone receiving this type of suspicious call,” Sandoval says. “She was advised that they don’t conduct business in that manner and the crime was averted.”
“Always go to your service or company and check with them to confirm,” Sandoval says. “Most legitimate businesses do not conduct business that way.”
UEC and HES customers have reported being the target of similar fraudulent calls since last summer. Central Oregon Electric Cooperative at Redmond also reported similar calls this spring. The Better Business Bureau says this new utility bill scam is common throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Locally, a recent variation of this scam involved a caller falsely stating that the customer neglected to sign her check to the utility and needed to pay immediately with a debit card.
In brief, here’s what you should know:
- It’s a red flag if you are asked to pay by prepaid debit card.
- Watch out for high-pressure tactics, such a sudden threat to cut off your service unless you make an immediate payment. UEC and HES make multiple contacts about an overdue bill before giving customers a final written notice. That final notice allows for 72 hours to pay before cutting off service.
- End the call if you’re suspicious or uncertain, and then contact the power company number independently (UEC 567-6414 and HES 289-2000) to verify the status of your account.
