Board of Public Utilities warns: Don’t pay scammers who claim bills are overdue
Callers claiming to be with the Board of Public Utilities have been tricking people into making payments they don’t owe with money they likely can’t get back.
This latest version of an old scam is targeting small businesses, including some in Missouri, outside of the BPU’s service area, said David Mehlhaff, a spokesman for the BPU in Kansas City, Kan.
The scammers use software that fraudulently causes a utility company’s phone number to show up on caller ID. The caller warns that electric service will be disconnected if the customer fails to make an immediate payment by calling a phone number the scammer provides.
“This phone number is in no way associated with BPU and indeed a scam,” Mehlhaff said in a written statement Thursday.
Customers who suspect they are being scammed should not provide any personal or banking information, he said. BPU asks that they notify the utility’s customer service department at 913-573-9190.
Donna McGuire: 816-234-4393, @dmcguirekcstar
This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Board of Public Utilities warns: Don’t pay scammers who claim bills are overdue."