Bill Collection Scammers Back in Action

From Power Lines, news and updates from Seattle City Light

Seattle City Light reminds its customers to guard against telephone con artists posing as utility bill collectors who appear to be targeting customers with Asian surnames.

Recently, several customers with Asian-sounding surnames reported phone calls from con artists claiming to be City Light employees who were ready to disconnect their electricity.

“It is deplorable that someone would try to take advantage of another with the false threat of cutting off their electricity,” Customer Service Director Kelly Enright said. “Seattle City Light wants to help its customers protect themselves and the best way to do that is to be informed.”

In the scam, the callers claimed there were problems with payment of the customers’ bill and asked for a credit card payment to resolve the matter. In some instances, the caller also asked for Social Security numbers. This is similar to incidents reported to City Light during the past several years.

“If someone asks for your credit card number or Social Security number over the phone, don’t give it to them,” Enright said. “We do not demand immediate payment to avoid a shutoff for one late payment or use Social Security numbers as part of our billing process.”

If a customer is behind on his or her bill and at risk of having the power turned off, City Light sends at least two written warnings asking the customer to contact the utility directly to make a payment.

City Light also wants to remind customers:

• Seattle City Light accepts credit card payments at a customer’s request, but never demands or solicits credit card information to pay a bill.
• Seattle City Light does not call customers on weekends about their utility account.
• Seattle City Light employees carry identification with the City Light logo and will always display it when asked.

All City Light customers are advised to take down the name and telephone number of anyone who calls and represents themselves as a City Light employee. Also, before customers provide any credit information, they should call City Light at 206-684-3000 to verify that the request is legitimate. If a customer believes he or she has been contacted by a con artist, they are urged to contact the Seattle Police Department at 206-625-5011 to report the incident.

Seattle City Light is the ninth largest public electric utility in the United States. It has the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility in the country, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents.