Xcel Reports Continuing Spate of Phone, Internet Scams

Local utility companies are warning customers to be on the lookout for crooks posing as employees.

As of early July, over 120 scams had been reported in upper Midwest region. Xcel Energy Spokeswoman Patti Nystuen said that the calls have no common origin, though they do follow the same modus operandi. 

"It's been an ongoing problem for utilities across the country since first of the year. The calls come from all over—in the country and out of country, some are local and some are out of state," Nystuen said. "There isn't a network of scammers. There are multiple sources, and each call is as unique as the scammers themselves, though they do use similar methods."

Typically, the scammer will pose as a utility employee. Often they will claim to be seeking payment for a fictitious utility bills, saying that the customer has an outstanding debt or that they're about to lose service.

There are some variations on the scheme, however. Here are a few that have been reported to Xcel:
• The scammer will tell the customer to go to buy a pre-paid cash card, then convince them to provide the card number over the phone. 
• Impersonators have been known to ask for payments over the phone by credit card or personal check. If the customer balks, the impersonator might give a false name and employee ID number, then offer to come to the customer's residence personally to pick up the payment. 
• Some scammers have been known to bypass the phone entirely and show up at the customer's door in person, saying that the meter is broken. The impersonator will demand immediate payment for repairs.
•It is true that Xcel Energy primarily uses e-mail to communicate with customers. However, the utility has received word of several e-mail scams as well. The e-mail will seem to be authentic, but demand personal and financial information.

Please keep in mind that a true representative of Xcel Energy will never ask for a customer's Social Security Number, driver's license number, internet passwords or financial information. Anyone affected by such scams should call Xcel's customer service line at 1-800-895-4999 and report the incident to local police.