{"id":1046,"date":"2021-01-13T15:27:04","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T20:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/?p=1046"},"modified":"2021-01-13T15:27:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T20:27:38","slug":"beware-of-the-electricity-cut-off-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/beware-of-the-electricity-cut-off-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware of the Electricity Cut Off Scam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Crystal Baldwin and Sara Spencer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour electricity will be shut off, if you don\u2019t pay.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine receiving this message in the middle of your work day while relying on electricity to serve your customers.  Or, maybe the message comes into your home while every single person is using an electronic device for work or school.  The message can be quite alarming, and can cause a person to react on the spot to resolve the perceived problem.  Resist the urge to respond\u2014hang up the phone instead.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These calls are from scammers claiming to be your utility provider.  They demand payment by gift card, wire transfer, credit\/debit cards, peer-to-peer payment, and sometimes even cash.  If you don\u2019t pay right away, they threaten that your electricity will be turned off.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Utility<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you are contacted by one of these scams: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Hang up! Do not engage with the scammer and do not call them back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    1. Do not provide any personal information <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      1. If you are concerned about disconnection, call your utility provider. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Help us stop these scams by sharing this information with those you care about.  Get notified about the latest scams: Sign up for VT Scam Alert System<\/a> alerts.      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Call the Consumer Assistance Program at 800-649-2424 if you have questions, concerns, or need help determining if you have been a victim of a scam.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

        When you receive one of\nthese jarring calls, here is what you can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Take steps to verify by\nremembering SLOW: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        S<\/strong> – S<\/strong>low down.  The\nscammers urge you to act urgently. Don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        L<\/strong> – L<\/strong>og\nthe call.  For your assurance, write down the phone number of the caller\nand hang up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        O<\/strong> – O<\/strong>ne call. Make a verification call to the business, using a number you know and trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        W<\/strong> – W<\/strong>ho\ncares? Call another person in your life who cares about you. Know that you can\ncall CAP at 1-800-649-2424.  We care and can help identify scams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Before this scam happens to you, you can take steps now to create a scam action plan.\u00a0 Keep the SLOW reminder near your phone. Act now to prevent future loss.

        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        By Crystal Baldwin and Sara Spencer \u201cYour electricity will be shut off, if you don\u2019t pay.\u201d\u00a0 Imagine receiving this message in the middle of your work day while relying on electricity to serve your customers.  Or, maybe the message comes into your home while every single person is using an electronic device for work or… Continue reading Beware of the Electricity Cut Off Scam<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4480,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[223768],"tags":[481474,493935,484616,482450,125300],"class_list":["post-1046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","tag-consumer","tag-disconnection","tag-scam","tag-scams","tag-utility","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4480"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1046"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1050,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1046\/revisions\/1050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}