Whitby Hydro Electric Corporation has issued a warning to customers after some people reported receiving phone calls from fraudsters claiming to be Hydro employees and threatening to disconnect users’ power unless immediate payment was made.
According to a release from the utility company, “the recent end of the Ontario Energy Board’s temporary ban on disconnection is being used by scammers to extort cash from unsuspecting customers.”
During the phone scam, the customer is instructed to phone a toll-free number to provide credit card information so the payment can be taken and disconnection is avoided. The toll-free number is answered by another fraudster posing as a Whitby Hydro employee.
“Whitby Hydro doesn’t ask for any credit card information from our customers because we don’t take credit card payments directly or over the phone,” said Angela Valentine, director of customer service for the company.
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