We Energies: Spike seen in scam calls.

100 customers report calls seeking money

We Energies is reporting an “alarming spike” in the number of customers being called by scammers trying to swindle them under the false threat that their electricity will be shut off unless they pay their bill immediately.

The Milwaukee utility said that more than 100 customers received calls Thursday informing them they were delinquent on their bills and asking them to get a prepaid debit card immediately to avoid having their power shut off.

The scammers use online databases and typically know some personal information about the customers they’re calling.

“We are now up to the highest amount of reported scam attempts we have ever recorded in one day,” said Amy Jahns, a We Energies spokeswoman.

The more than 100 reports by 4 p.m. compares with 880 such reports for all of last year, she said.

Scam reports early in the day were centered in Menomonee Falls and Milwaukee, targeting auto body shops, veterinary and dental offices, and homes.

By mid-afternoon, scam reports were coming in from Washington and Dodge counties as well as some in the Appleton area.

Only one customer reported complying with the scammers and losing money, Jahns said.

Under utilities’ standard procedures, they don’t ask customers to pay bills with prepaid debit cards, and don’t threaten immediate shutoff.

But the scammers do, threatening to quickly cut power if the customer doesn’t go to a drug store or grocery store and buy a prepaid debit card, such as Money Pak or Green Dot, and then give the card number back to the scammer by phone.

In northeastern Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Service Corp. of Green Bay said it’s also seen an uptick in the scams, with more than a dozen since Saturday, a spokesman said.

In Sheboygan, the county Sheriff’s Department advised residents via social media that scammers claiming to be from Alliant Energy were doing the same thing, and that their caller ID appeared to be Alliant Energy’s phone number.

Overall, Madison-based Alliant Energy hasn’t seen a big spike, with nine scam reports this month, spokeswoman Annemarie Newman said.

“Our experience is that they show up in spurts and then they disappear,” she said. “It’s always difficult to know where or when the next outburst of these scams will be.”

The scams have been problems over the past five years, but consumer protection offices have reported more problems with scammers posing as Internal Revenue Service agents in recent years.

“We can go weeks at a time where we do not hear of any scam attempts, and then we have days like today where they come in like a flurry,” Jahns said.

In December, there were relatively few scam reports, Jahns said.

But so far this month, before Thursday’s spike, 75 scams had been reported to We Energies, the state’s largest utility with 1.1 million electricity customers.

“The most important thing is, if you suspect a scam, trust your instinct, hang up and call us directly,” she said.

“And if you are a victim of a scam, report it immediately to local law enforcement.”