Protect yourself from being targeted by scammers BY WENDY MCNAMARA

Many electric, water and natural gas customers throughout Indiana are being targeted by utility scams. More and more utility customers have reported unsolicited phone calls from individuals falsely claiming to be a utility representative. Because we depend on these critical services, consumers are vulnerable to these scams, which are becoming more sophisticated.

Your phone’s caller ID might falsely appear to be a call from your utility provider, and the scammer will claim a customer’s service will be disconnected unless they make an immediate payment, usually within a very short period of time, like an hour.

The caller often instructs the customer to purchase a gift card or a prepaid debit card, then call back and make a utility payment. The scammer asks the customer for the prepaid debit card’s receipt number and PIN number, giving them access to the card’s funds and the ability to immediately drain its balance.