TORONTO, Dec. 5, 2022 /CNW/ – This holiday season, Alectra Utilities, Elexicon Energy, Hydro One, Hydro Ottawa and Toronto Hydro are once again joining forces to increase awareness of utility-related scams and how customers can spot them.
The festive season is a prime time for scammers looking to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Scammers are known to target Ontarians by impersonating a local utility or its employees; sending threatening phone calls, texts and emails; or showing up in-person at a customer’s home or business to request personal information. These requests may include pressure for immediate payment, threats to disconnect service the same day, and even demands to purchase prepaid debit cards, gift cards or crypto currency, such as bitcoin.
According to the Ontario Energy Board, there has been a 77 per cent increase in reported energy sector scams from 2020 to 2022, including illegitimate phone calls, texts, emails, fake websites, social media, YouTube videos, home visits and ads.
The utilities are encouraging all customers to protect themselves and are providing them with the following tips to stay safe:
- Never make a payment for a charge that isn’t listed on your…
