The Wisconsin DATCP is warning businesses about a scam that could affect them.
Administrator Michelle Reinen explained on the WCUB Breakfast Club that the state has a winter moratorium, meaning utility companies cannot cut off heating services to paying customers, even if they are behind on bills, starting on November 1st and lasting until April 15th.
Despite that, small businesses could still receive threatening phone calls from scammers pretending to be utility companies, even though they are not eligible for the moratorium.
“Anyone could be targeted for this scam, and we want to remind consumers about it, so they hang up on any threatening phone call that they receive,” she explained. “But also pay attention when you’re at your workplace to be sure that everyone is informed on how that works there because we don’t want even small businesses falling victim to this.”
Reinen reminds utility customers that companies will not demand immediate payment and will only contact a person through official channels, such as a letter in the mail.
A representative from a utility company could also come to your door.
“But it’s not a cold call,” she noted. “It’s not a high-pressure tactic that says ‘you need to pay during this phone call, or we have a truck in route ready to do this disconnection. They (the utility company) also will not demand a payment by a gift card, cryptocurrency, a banking app, or a wire transfer.”
If a customer isn’t sure what your status is with paying utility bills, Reinen recommends checking the company’s website and logging in to your account to make sure you’re on time.
More information can be found online at datcp.wi.gov.
