Residents in Upstate New York are being warned of a scam involving their utility bills.
National Grid issued the warning Tuesday morning, saying that the nationwide utility bill scam claims the federal government will pay customers’ bills through a new program.
This is not the case according to released information. No such program exists, and customers who may be solicited should notify local law enforcement officials to investigate.
Reports have indicated that solicitation of the scam has been through phone calls, door-to-door, and online ads asking customers for their social security and bank routing numbers. Customers are then given a fake account number to pay their bill.
National Grid has issued a reminder to their customers that, “to ensure confidence and security during service calls at homes and businesses, all National Grid employees are required to carry company photo identification. Most, but not all National Grid employees also travel in clearly marked National Grid vehicles when providing service to residences and businesses.”
The company also is reminding customers to always ask to see the National Grid company ID badge of anyone who says they are from National Grid. If you are in any doubt as to whether an individual is a National Grid employee, tell the person to wait outside and call the National Grid customer service number to confirm. Customers are urged to contact us at 1-800-642-4272.
