NorthWestern Energy will join Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) this week to support International Fraud Awareness Week and to recognize the ninth annual Utility Scam Awareness Day on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Utility Scam Awareness Day is an advocacy and awareness campaign focused on educating customers and exposing scammer tactics.
For years, scammers have posed as utility workers and attempted to steal financial information or obtain immediate payment from customers by threatening service interruptions. This is known as a utility impostor scam.
The theme of this year’s campaign is “Anytime, anyone, anywhere.” Customers of all ages and demographics must stay vigilant against utility impostor scams. While advanced digital scam incidents have increased in recent years, in-person and telephone impostor scams are still frequently reported.
“Working together with our partners to protect our families, neighbors and customers from scammers is a year-round effort,” said NorthWestern Energy Director of Customer Care Lori St. Aubin. “Providing education about how scammers try to steal money helps prevent their crimes.”
NorthWestern Energy is a member of UUAS, which continues to raise customer awareness of common scams and new scam tactics used by utility impostors. Through its work and with the help of customer reporting, UUAS has successfully helped to take more than 14,830 toll-free numbers used by scammers against utility customers out of operation.
“We encourage customers of all ages to stop and verify any unusual utility company requests before making a payment, regardless of whether the customer is contacted via phone, internet, or in person,” said UUAS Executive Director Monica Martinez. “While scammers often target elderly and vulnerable populations, customers in all age groups are reporting utility impostor scam incidents that take place online, on the phone, and in person.”
As a reminder, utilities will never ask for payments using a pre-paid debit card, gift card, or cryptocurrencies, and they will provide multiple notices before any service interruptions are implemented.
NorthWestern Energy customers can report attempted scams at //www.northwesternenergy.com/scamalert. Anyone who feels threatened during contact with a scammer should contact law enforcement authorities immediately. The Federal Trade Commission also provides additional information about protecting personal information and other information regarding impostor scams at https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams