Type of a scam Utility
received a call from a person imposing as a Sask power rep stating our power bill is not paid and gave us amount of $1798 to pay immediately or power will be disconnected in one hour. Called provided phone number 8886165016 as contact number to pay the bill.
Type of a scam Utility
I received an automated call leaving a message that my power was going to be disconnected within a half hour as my bill was overdue. I had been one month behind but I had just made the payment the night before. So I called the number back 1(877)770-7616 and I was told it was Sask Power and that the service crew were on their way to disconnect the power. I told the young man that I had made a payment the night before but he said it didn’t show up yet. I would have to make another one. I replied that it had already come out of my bank account and that given the circumstances right now, I did not have the funds to make another one. He then put me through to his supervisor and she said that I needed to act fast – and then she gave me a case number – and then put me on hold as she attempted to contact the service crew to cancel the disconnection. When she come back on, she went on to say I had not made any payments on my account this year so far – which was false. She then went on to say that they had send numerous letters warning me about a pending disconnection/which I did not receive. I asked what I owed and the amount was not the same as on my invoices. I then went on my online sask power account to double check my invoice to their records and they were the not the same. I started to get very upset as my sask power bills showed the payments that I had made so far this year – which she said did not show up. And as businesses we have been told that given the circumstances with the coivd 19, we are able to defer our payments for 6 months. She kept telling me that if they made an error they would refund my money by certified cheque or I would receive a credit on my account. I told her that I was not going to take another payment out of my back account right now as we have been closed since March 18th. She then said that she was putting me through to her manager as he was the only one that could decide what steps to take – I again told him that their information was not the same as what was on my statements or on my online sask power account, and then I asked him if this was a scam – he hung up.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach Sask Power at their number 1-888-757-6937 to speak to someone, I phoned the local police and reported the call. I called back the number that the scammers used a couple of times and their message was exactly like the real Sask Power one. I then called back the number that showed up on my phone and it was a gentleman from Shell Brook. An hour later, I called the scammer number back and the message now said Manitoba Hydro.