In the past three years, phone scams targeting Lewis County PUD customers have become more prolific and sophisticated, said Cory Moses, PUD communications liaison.
“This is an ongoing issue,” she said, calling it a “scourge.” “It’s not just businesses. We find that they target our non-English speaking population.”
Jeremy Wildhaber, owner of Jeremy’s Farm to Table in Chehalis, said his restaurant gets scam phone calls about once a month.
“It happens all the time,” he said. “They got $1,000 out of me the first time.”
That time, the scammers told Wildhaber that if he didn’t pay the amount immediately, his power would be disconnected.
“It was the perfect timing,” he said. “It seemed like the amount I would have owed.”
Scammers also target elderly customers, Moses said. Generally, the scams follow a predictable pattern, she said. Spanish speaking customers get them first, then speakers of Asian languages, then elderly customers, then businesses.
“It ebbs and flows just like waves,” she said. “We’ll go two weeks and we won’t hear about anything.”
The PUD works with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office to track the scams. Making matters more difficult, the scams aren’t all perpetrated by the same people, Moses said.
Regardless of who the calls come from, Moses said they should be easy to spot.
“We do not shut your power off without constant communication,” she said. “If anyone gets a phone call saying you owe this money right now or your power’s being shut off, it’s not from us.”
If a customer is in any danger of having their power cut off for non-payment, they will have received numerous letters and notices from the PUD stating the customer’s bill is delinquent.
“As anything with technology it gets better and better so they’re able to scam better and better,” Moses said.
Moses urged anyone who has received a similar call to contact the PUD.
“Never ever feel pressured to make a payment on the phone,” Moses said. “Feel free to hang up from that call, call us to verify what’s going on.”
To report scam phone calls to the PUD or get more information on your bill information, call 800-562-5612.
