When severe weather hits its peak, so do scammers. With electricity, heat and water being your top priority during the summer, scammers may pose as your utility company demanding payment or repair offers.
"They try to hit customers when it would be the most vulnerable time," said Salt River Project service manager Zack Thompson. "With these extreme temperatures that we're seeing, they're taking advantage of that. They know people don't want to be without power."
The Salt River Project, a water and power company servicing more than 2 million customers across central Arizona, is advising consumers to watch out for scam activity.
Thompson said they receive dozens of reported scams on any given day, but the majority of those calls are informing SRP of the type of scam they received and verifying the information. He said most scammers reach customers by phone, but email and text messages have also been reported.
"What we're hearing is customers saying they received a demanding call for payment or a threat for their services to be disconnected immediately," Thompson said. "Those are the two things that stand out because we don't do either of those things."
SRP will send notifications that an overdue bill may affect services, but they will never immediately discontinue service or ask for payment urgently, Thompson said.
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Some recently reported scams
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A text message with a scannable barcode to make a payment. SRP said they will never send customers a text with a barcode and recommend never making payments outside of the app.
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Receiving a call stating their bill is past due and must be paid immediately. SRP said they will never ask for an immediate payment.
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Receiving a call stating their meter is faulty, in need of repair, and must be paid for. SRP said they will not call and demand payment for normal meter replacement.
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Receiving an email or text with a link to view an online bill and make a payment. SRP recommends you do not click on the link and log into your online account to view a bill or make a payment.
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A person at the front door saying they are from SRP and asking for payment. SRP said they never collect payments in person if a bill is past due. If the person is claiming they need to perform repairs, call SRP immediately to confirm.
What to do if you think you are getting scammed
SRP said no payment will ever be demanded over the phone, nor through Zelle, Venmo, Bitcoin or any other specific payment methods.