Whitby Hydro is issuing a warning to its customers about a payment phone scam circulating in the region.
The power supplier said it has received numerous reports from customers about the fraudulent calls, prompting the concern.
The calls tend to follow the same format – the caller threatens to disconnect their electricity if the bill isn’t paid “immediately.” The customer is then told to hang up and dial a toll-free number where a person posing as a Whitby Hydro employee allegedly tells them to provide their credit card information.
In some of the calls, Whitby Hydro said its customers are told to purchase pre-paid credit cards and supply the card number and code to the scammer, allowing them to take the cash from the card.
"Whitby Hydro doesn't ask for credit card information from our customers because we don't take credit card payments directly or over the phone," Angela Valentine, director of customer service for Whitby Hydro, said in a news release.
“Customers should be extremely suspicious about anyone who calls and demands personal or financial information such as credit card numbers.”
This type of scam is not new to hydro companies in the GTA.
On Thursday, Toronto Hydro issued its own warning about similar scams impacting its own customers, including ones by phone, email, letter and door-to-door.
In a series of tweets, the power supplier said some of its customers have been contacted by a 1-800 number that shows up on call display as Toronto Hydro or Hydro One.
Det. Const. Diane Kelly described the calls on Twitter as “spoof” phone calls.
The scammer then tells the customer that their accounts are “past due” and are similarly threatened with disconnection if they don’t pay up.
“Be suspicious of calls threatening immediate disconnection. Toronto Hydro does not threaten immediate disconnection for non-payment,” a tweet from Toronto Hydro reads.
“Customers are notified of past due payments and pending disconnections with phone calls and a hand delivered notice.”
The hydro companies recommend customers hang up if they receive a call like this and to contact their customer service lines if they notice anything suspicious about their bills
