As long as there has been money, scammers have been trying to get it from honest people. Here’s how to stay on guard with utility scammers.
Online, over the phone or in person — no matter how you prefer to conduct your business and pay your bills, you should always verify the person on the other side of the transaction is who they claim to be.
Clark Public Utilities employees wear utility-branded clothing, carry employee identification cards and drive Clark Public Utilities-branded vehicles. In specific instances, contract crews from vegetation management or power line companies may perform work on behalf of the utility, but they too are expected to clearly identify themselves and their employers.
If a person contacts you unexpectedly and claims to be with the utility, don’t hesitate to ask them for identification and call customer service at 360-992-3000 to verify their identity. A utility employee will never be bothered because you want to be cautious.
The same goes for phone calls. Scammers are able to spoof your phone’s caller I.D.s into displaying “Clark Public Utilities” with a local phone number. The person on the other end of the line may sound exactly like a utility employee. They’ll verify personal information, all of which is publically available online, or ask for it in a way that sounds like they already know it, such as, “Can you verify your address for me?” They may direct you to call a phone number that is answered by a recording that sounds very similar to the Clark Public Utilities answering service.
Scam emails may look professional, include the Clark Public Utilities logo and urge you to click a link or call a specific number regarding a serious account matter. What they’re hoping you won’t do is examine the email address they contacted you from or the phone number they want you to call. Any email that claims to be from a Clark Public Utilities employee that isn’t from an address ending specifically in “@clarkpud.com” isn’t from the utility. Any number other than 360-992-3000, isn’t Clark Public Utilities’ customer service.
Never click the link in a suspicious email to manage your account. Instead type the utility’s website, www.clarkpublicutilities.com, directly into an internet browser and log in to MyAccount.
Scammers often say customers are late on a deposit or payments were never made. They’ll call a business during peak hours and claim they’re behind on their utility bills and need to pay or else lose power that instant. They’ll only accept payment with a gift card or prepaid debit card. Big red flag. Clark Public Utilities would never make such sudden or drastic demands of a customer and would never ask for that type of payment.
At times scammers try a different utility angle. They may make big claims about services that will make big reductions to your utility bill or warn of impending rate increases or suggest “new programs” or “new services” to shield you against rate increases. They may even reference rate changes from neighboring utilities—hoping you won’t pick up on the error. Don’t believe them.
When contacted by a supposed utility employee, hang up, close the email or shut the door, then call the utility directly at 360-992-3000 to verify the contact.
The scammer’s goal is almost always the same: take your money and run. Unfortunately, Clark Public Utilities cannot refund or credit a victimized customer’s account. Anyone who has been a target or victim of a scam should contact the police.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98688.
