{"id":2261,"date":"2017-03-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/warn-consumers-about-utility-bill-fraud\/"},"modified":"2017-03-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-03-20T00:00:00","slug":"warn-consumers-about-utility-bill-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/warn-consumers-about-utility-bill-fraud\/","title":{"rendered":"Warn Consumers About Utility Bill Fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Scammers are now using utility bills to try to dupe customers.<\/p>\n

Scammers reportedly are making calls to customers posing as representatives from companies like ConEd, Duke Energy<\/a>, Georgia Power, Consumers Energy, or a bogus utility company called General Electric, among others. They\u2019ll threaten to shut off power or service if customers don\u2019t pay immediately. They\u2019ll offer<\/a> an \u201cenergy assistance\u201d or payment plan and ask for the customer\u2019s payment information.<\/p>\n

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Watch Out for These Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Email Scam Can Trick Google Users<\/span><\/p>\n

Scam Letter Alarms Florida REALTORS\u00ae<\/span><\/p>\n

Security Firm Issues Fraud Warning to Agents<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cScammers are constantly looking for new ways to defraud consumers, and we\u2019ve seen triple-digit growth in utility company scams in the past year,\u201d Jan Volzke, vice president of Reputation Data at Hiya, told Forbes.com. \u201cWhile many consumers now know to be wary of calls claiming to be from the IRS or offering a free cruise that seems too good to be true, the latest threat comes disguised in the form of the utility companies that we trust to provide our basic services, like gas and electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some warning signs to watch for: Representatives that demand customers pay by prepaid debit card or by a wire transfer (utility companies accept check or credit card and will generally direct customers to one of their payment locations). Also, don\u2019t let anyone inside your home claiming to be a utility company representative unless you have a scheduled appointment or have reported an issue. When in doubt, hang up the phone and call the customer service number for your utility company to make sure you are speaking with a legit representative.<\/p>\n

Source: \u201cScam Alert: How to Avoid Utility Fraud,\u201d Forbes.com (March 19, 2017)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Scammers are now using utility bills to try to dupe customers. Scammers reportedly are making calls … Warn Consumers About Utility Bill Fraud<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[12908,543,1263,3058,41,818],"class_list":["post-2261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opportunities-in-new-markets","tag-home","tag-home-buying-guide","tag-irs","tag-location","tag-property","tag-real"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5026,"url":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/protect-renters-from-scammers\/","url_meta":{"origin":2261,"position":0},"title":"Protect Renters From Scammers","author":"Amazing Property","date":"June 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"[ad_1] Summer is sizzling for buyers and renters alike, and now's the time for\u00a0real estate professionals to help make sure their clients don\u2019t get burned. RentHop, an online rental listing platform, conducted a study that unveiled the most common rental scams and how to avoid them. Property managers and agents\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opportunities In New Markets"","block_context":{"text":"Opportunities In New Markets","link":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/category\/opportunities-in-new-markets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Rental-Scams-and-How-to-Avoid-Them.jpeg?fit=800%2C840&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Rental-Scams-and-How-to-Avoid-Them.jpeg?fit=800%2C840&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Rental-Scams-and-How-to-Avoid-Them.jpeg?fit=800%2C840&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Rental-Scams-and-How-to-Avoid-Them.jpeg?fit=800%2C840&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9790,"url":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/scammers-pose-as-agents-to-bilk-real-estate-colleagues\/","url_meta":{"origin":2261,"position":1},"title":"Scammers Pose as Agents to Bilk Real Estate Colleagues","author":"Amazing Property","date":"January 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued a warning this week about a new scam in which tricksters pose as real estate agents and other trusted professionals, asking for financial \u201cfavors\u201d from unsuspecting victims. 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The reports were widespread Wednesday by those claiming they received an email asking them to open a document in Google Docs from one of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opportunities In New Markets"","block_context":{"text":"Opportunities In New Markets","link":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/category\/opportunities-in-new-markets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3215,"url":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wire-scam-warnings-as-spring-season-starts\/","url_meta":{"origin":2261,"position":3},"title":"Wire Scam Warnings as Spring Season Starts","author":"Amazing Property","date":"April 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As the spring homebuying season begins to heat up, the real estate and title insurance industries are reminding home buyers about wire fraud scams increasingly targeting them to steal their down payment funds. The National Association of REALTORS\u00ae has issued warnings\u00a0to its members that hackers are trying to gain access\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opportunities In New Markets"","block_context":{"text":"Opportunities In New Markets","link":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/category\/opportunities-in-new-markets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":802,"url":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/loan-modification-foreclosure-rescue-scams\/","url_meta":{"origin":2261,"position":4},"title":"Loan Modification & Foreclosure Rescue Scams","author":"Amazing Property","date":"February 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"[ad_1] California\u00a0ranks #16 in the US\u00a0for ratio of houses in some stage of foreclosure. This equals out to roughly 1 in 1,600 homes or 13,781,929 families facing the nightmare of foreclosure. 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