PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The state attorney general’s office and National Grid are warning the utility’s customers about scammers posing as bill collectors.
There has been an increase in the number of reported scam attempts targeting residential and business electricity and natural gas customers over the past several weeks, they said in a news release Monday.
The scammers use phone calls, texts, emails and even in-person visits to tell customers that their service will be terminated unless they settle unpaid bills, they said.
“Our Consumer Protection Unit fields complaints like this on a daily basis, as scammers get more and more sophisticated in their attempts to con you out of your money,” Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement.
He tells customers to never give out personal or financial information over the phone.
National Grid tells the targets of scammers to always call the utility directly at the customer service number on their bill if they have questions. The utility also says it never demands immediate payment by wire transfer, prepaid debit cards, iTunes cards, Green Dot Money-Pak or any other prepaid card service.
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