Niagara Co. Sheriff’s Office warns of energy bill phone scam

NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office environment is warning people to be on inform of a new cell phone fraud that is generating the rounds.

Investigators say a Niagara County resident noted obtaining a cellphone contact from anyone professing to be their electrical power provider who claimed that the monthly bill was past because of and they were about to shut off their utilities.

The caller requested the sufferer to make a payment around the cellphone by a third-celebration application to a specific human being simply because firms weren’t authorized to have the application so staff members could make the payments for them.

In accordance to the sheriff’s office environment, the caller explained to the target their payment didn’t go by means of and requested them to attempt all over again a number of periods. The target became suspicious and asked to a supervisor, resulting in the caller to hold up.

The target referred to as their lender, which informed them hundreds of dollars had been debited from their account and they were not certain it would be in a position to be reimbursed mainly because it was by way of a 3rd-party app.

The sheriff’s business suggests there were being two key crimson flags in this incident to check out out for:

• Crimson Flag #1: Providers will not connect with customers individually to tell them their bill is earlier because of and will only deliver letters or automatic recordings.
• Purple Flag #2: Firms will not check with you to spend by a third-occasion app.

Guidelines to keep away from falling target to a scam like this:

• Block unwelcome calls and texts, specifically from figures you do not know.
• Do not give absent private or economical details in response to requests you did not assume.
• Do not click on on back links in an e-mail or textual content from businesses you may well do enterprise with call them on your own to confirm it is respectable.
• Resist the strain to act quickly.