People claiming to be Clark Public Utilities employees have been calling utility customers and threatening to disconnect their power unless they pay up.
These calls are bunk, the utility said, even though the callers might be very convincing or show up as Clark PUD on caller ID. Just hang up and call the utility, Clark PUD spokeswoman Erica Erland said.
Erland said the scammers usually call, demand payment, and tell targets to call a different number with a pre-paid debit card at the ready. Such scams are an ongoing problem, but they seem to come in waves, she said.
Although residences are often targets, Erland said, grifters also have been targeting small businesses. In the past, the utility has seen scammers target specific types of businesses, such as dry cleaners or taverns. Recently, a local bakery received multiple scam calls, she said.
When targets go as far as to call the number they’re told to dial, they hear a convincing facsimile of the utility’s real answering system. Erland said scammers also have sometimes taken to calling businesses at peak work times, or when there might not be an owner around.
“Basically, these scam calls are getting more and more sophisticated,” she said. “We just say hang up and call us back.”
When someone truly is behind on their power bill, yes, the utility might call, Erland said.
“That said, those customers are usually not surprised when we make a call,” she said.
For customers who are, as far as they know, up-to-date on their payments, such a call can be surprising, she said, but they should hang up.
“It’s completely understandable to say, ‘You know what, I’m going to hang up and call you back just to make sure,’ ” she said. “We would certainly never be offended if they said, ‘I’m a little uncomfortable, I’m going to call you back.’ ”
The utility said customers can call 360-992-3000 at any time to check their account status.
