Victim Location 90068
Total money lost $498
Type of a scam Utility
I received a voicemail on my landline in Los Angeles, saying I owed two months of electric and they had a technician on their way to the house to turn off our utilities. Because I just moved to a new city and a new house and have not yet received a paper bill or any correspondence from LAWP, this seemed correct. I have not been here a full two months, but because I was here for half of August and half of September, it seemed reasonable. I was not thinking clearly, I was panicked and did not do the math properly.
I called the number left on my voicemail. (888) 581- 7077 and they answered as Business Call Center. They explained they were a third party website that handled overdue accounts. The rep said his name was Mr. Shaun, extension 128.
They claimed I owed $200 for August and $298 for September and in order to stop the technician from turning off my utilities I needed to get a cash money card immediately because a debit or credit would not work. The only reason this seemed reasonable to me at the time is because I was in a new state dealing with a new company, although in hindsight I now realize no legitimate company would ever request this.
He gave me a fake badge # CS1663 and a fake confirmation #CS1077. From what I could hear in the background their accent and language sounded Creole.
When I realized it was a scam and I had just sent a MoneyPak card with $598, I called back to see how far I could get in finding more information on them. They said my card had not gone through and the bill was actually $998. I told them I had reported it to the LAWP who in turned reported it to the police, they said the did not give a F*&K, they already have my money. The man I spoke to laughed and continued to curse me out until he hung up.