New scam on the horizon in Indiana as winter and cold weather approaches that targets utility customers

Scammers are constantly trying to figure out new ways to deceive people and achieve personal gains, making it even harder for authorities to discover what their next scam will be about. That said, a new scam is on the horizon in Indiana, threatening people.

According to the opinions of experts, scammers are this time using more sophisticated strategies as the winter and cold weather approaches and are trying to target customers of utilities such as water, electricity, and gas, which are essential services that play a vital role in everyday life.

The latest in the wide variety of scams is when scammers contact households and state they have fallen behind on their utility payments. But utility service officials are all assuring customers that their companies would never contact them asking for an immediate payment.

In order to protect yourselves from this kind of scam, authorities are advising the following:

• Create an online account and make sure you owe anything before taking your next step.
• Ensure that you have not disclosed credit card information to any other parties.
• Slow down. Scammers often try to hurry customers.
• Scammers pose as utility company employees. If the scammer is on the phone, make sure they can verify that they are with the utility or can verify your account information. If you are unsure, hang up.
• Remember that scammers increasingly use “spoof” numbers that make it appear their call is originating from a legitimate business.
• Stop before you act. Think about the information the caller is asking of you. If it seems unsafe or incorrect, rethink the situation and ask questions.