Manitoba Hydro says that in 2019 they saw a 5% increase in the number of fraud-related complaints they received over the year before.
904 text and e-mail scam complaints were filed with the power utility from January until mid-December.
Scammers use all forms of communication methods to try and trick unsuspecting Manitobans out of their hard-earned cash. Often they tip their hand by demanding gift cards or bitcoins as payment.
“With scammers becoming increasingly more sophisticated, it makes it harder for the utility’s customers to tell the difference between scams and legitimate messages,” said Chris McColm, Manitoba Hydro’s Security and Investigations Supervisor “If you get any communication, either by e-mail, text or phone claiming to be Manitoba Hydro and demanding immediate payment through an unfamiliar method, do not respond. Hang up or delete the message.”
Although Hydro does contact customers to remind them of overdue bills they never threaten customers, ask for prepaid credit, debit, gift card or bitcoins as payment and they do not accept payment over the phone.
These scams are similar to those reporting to be from government departments, banks and telecommunication companies. Scammers often spoof real numbers and mimick automated phone system recordings and prompts to try and fool you.
The Canadian Anti-fraud Centre says that if you get a call from someone claiming to be from an organization you do business with always be careful about providing confidential personal information, especially banking or credit card details, unless you are certain the company is legitimate. And, if you have doubts about a caller, your best defence is to simply hang up. It’s not rude – it’s smart.
© News4.ca 2020
