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Police warn of furnace scam after aggressive sales complaints

It’s a scam that has been around for years but recently the Winnipeg Police Service has been getting a number of complaints concerning aggressive salespeople and home heating systems.

The scam works like this…

The scammer will approach a residence possibly dressed in a uniform and carrying business identification. The individual will tell the homeowner that they are there to inspect the heating system and or perform a furnace inspection. Often times, police say, the scammers try to gain entrance to the residence.

The ultimate goal of these people is to try and convince the homeowner to purchase heating products. Most of the time these products are not needed.

Winnipeg Police say that these scammers are salespeople and work for private companies. They have no legal authority to enter a home and perform a furnace inspection. Police say there have been reports of scammers pretending to be associates or employees of Manitoba Hydro.

Although Hydro employees do go door-to-door for several reasons they do carry official Manitoba Hydro identification that includes their name and photo. Hydro employees will never pressure homeowners to gain entry to their home even for inspections.

Besides the home heating scam, Manitoba Hydro says that there are a number of other scams regarding Hydro accounts and services including a text scam that looks like an interac payment transfer. Hydro does not send customers refunds in this manner. They say the scam appears to be attempting to gain access to customers banking information.

The is also a phone scam that attempts to sell you a device or service or may even state your account is in arrears and a payment is required immediately. Usually, these scammers will ask for a credit card or payment through Western Union or through a local retailer (often Sobey’s of Safeway). Hydro never accepts payment over the phone. They do not accept PayPal or credit card payments. Hydro will never ask you to wire money or make a cold call to you to sell a good or service.

For information on other Hydro scams visit their website at the link below.

LINK  |  Hydro Scams

 

Police say that you can deny entry to your home to anyone, especially if they seem suspicious.

 

© 2018 News 4, a DigiPix Media Group company

 

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