MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Temperatures are soaring and so is the number of people falling for an MLGW phone scam. Nearly two dozen victims contacted the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South in just the last week. These unsuspecting MLGW customers are now out hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
The BBB says it’s an old scam gaining new life right now because of the brutal summer heat.
Most of the victims are senior citizens being taken to the cleaners by scammers who scare them into paying their MLGW bills ASAP for fear their air conditioning is going to stop working if they don’t.
“On your phone, it shows up as an MLGW call,” said Daniel Irwin, the BBB’s Director of Public Relations and Outreach, “but it’s not. The scammers have spoofed the number. It’s not real. And essentially, they threaten to cut off your utilities in 30 minutes if you don’t pay in some form or fashion.”
Irwin said the BBB logged 37 complaints in the last 10 days and 22 of those people, most of them senior citizens, admitted they fell for the scam.
”That’s an alarming rate. That’s not what we’ve seen before,” he said, “and it seems to be more seniors are vulnerable to these pitches they’re doing this time around. The scammers sometimes use real things that are happening in Memphis, like the confusion with MLGW and their billing system or with smart meters. This time it’s the heat. Seniors are paying the money for peace of mind because it’s so hot and they knew…
