Scammers claiming to be from utility on the rise, B.C. Hydro says
A record number of fraudsters tried to prey upon or B.C. Hydro customers in 2018, the utility said Friday.
A record 2,004 fraud attempts by people claiming to be B.C. Hydro employees were reported, with 85 of them being successful (for the fraudster), a success rate 50-per-cent higher than in 2017 and leaving victims almost $45,000 out of pocket, the company said.
Beginning in 2014 when the scam began picking up momentum, B.C. Hydro has received almost 6,000 reports from customers who were contacted by con artists, including the record number in 2018.
While every corner of the province has experienced some attempt at the fraud, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Surrey, Vernon, Burnaby and Richmond are the most targeted communities, the company said.
“While these numbers are significant, they likely underrepresent the scale of the problem as it is believed most attempted and successful scams are not reported,” a spokesman said.
Scammers contact customers by phone, email or text to threaten an immediate disconnection of service if a payment is not made. They ask customers to buy prepaid cash or credit cards or deposit money in a bitcoin ATM.
“Once the fraudsters receive the credit card information or bitcoin currency, the customer is out hundreds if not thousands of dollars,” the company said.
B.C. Hydro reminded its customers that, to avoid becoming a scam victim, the company does not collect credit card or bank information over the phone, by email or by text.
Neither does it accept payment from prepaid cash cards, credit cards or bitcoin.
Rather, if an account is in arrears, customers will receive several notices by mail and a reminder via auto dialer of the need to make a payment.
Customers can check the status of their accounts at any time at bchydro.com, or call B.C. Hydro at 1-800-BCHYDRO if they receive a suspicious phone call, text or email from someone claiming to be from the company.
B.C. Hydro also asks customers to report suspected fraud to their local police department, as well as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.