At least two Vancouver city utility customers have received possible scam phone calls from people claiming to be with the utility in the past days, and the city is reminding customers it does not collect personal or financial information over the phone.
In both cases, the city said a man identified himself as a city employee, said the customers’ water bills were past due and asked for payment to stop service from being interrupted. The customers were not able to verify his legitimacy and reported the incident to the city’s Public Works Department.
“Those customers did the right thing in requesting verification,” said Shawna Sommerville, Vancouver’s Utility Services supervisor, in a news release from the city. “If you are uncertain or hesitant during a phone conversation with someone who is representing the city, please check further before providing personal or financial information over the telephone.”
The only calls city utility customers should be receiving from the city’s utility services are automated reminder messages, the city said.
