(KANSAS CITY, Kan.) The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) wants
customers to be aware of utility scams telling residents their utility bills are past due
and service will be shut off.
According to BPU representatives, multiple reports have been made about calls
stating that utility payments are past due and service will be disconnected unless a
payment is made. The caller has used caller ID spoofing to convince victims the call is
from the BPU outage number, 913-573-9522. The caller will then give instructions to
make a payment.
BPU will never ask for payment over the phone or threaten disconnection due
to non-payment. Customers that suspect they are being targeted by a scam need to
hang up right away and call the BPU Customer Service Department at 913-573-9190. If
you feel you have been a victim of a scam, please work with your local law
enforcement agency to report the crime.
Although BPU sometimes uses pre-recorded messages to notify customers about
future dates for possible disconnection, they do not cold-call customers to demand
immediate payment.
BPU offers these tips for customers to protect themselves if they are unsure
about a call, email, or visit from a utility representative:
-
Never give credit or debit card, Social Security, ATM, checking or savings
account numbers to anyone who comes to your door, calls, texts, and/or sends
an email asking for information regarding your utility bill. Verify the request is
authentic by either asking to see company identification or calling the BPU
Customer Service Department.
- Be suspicious if you receive an email regarding your utility bill if you have not
requested online communications from BPU.
- Never provide personal information via email or click any suspicious links or
attachments.
BPU said electric customers have been targeted by scammers using a variety of such
scam attempts for a number of years in several states besides Kansas, including
Nebraska; Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; the District of Columbia; Florida;
Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Mississippi; Missouri; New Jersey; New York;
Oklahoma; Texas; Wisconsin; and New Mexico.