Mr. Lucino Salgado, a client of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Electricity (LADWP), said that he was scammed over the phone when a person posed as a representative of the agency.
Salgado said that the supposed representative was very kind but also told him that he had to pay an outstanding bill of $300 immediately or else they would cut off the power.
“I was scared and fell into their trap,” said Salgado in a video that is being released by the LADWP to prevent other people from being victims of fraud.
Since the start of the covid pandemic-19 in the 2020, the LADWP reported that scammers have been taking advantage of their customers during the national state of emergency and response to covid-19.
Jeri Scott-López, utility manager, said they have received multiple reports of scammers posing as employees s of the LADWP and threaten to shut off water and electricity service if they do not receive payment immediately during the phone call.
“Unfortunately, scammers are trying to take advantage of our customers and are using a variety of of tactics,” said Scott-López.
Among the most common tactics are robot calls or contacting customers by phone using pressure tactics to request payment in advance or immediately through of prepaid cards or any mechanism to try to get a customer to make a payment immediately.
“The LADWP does not use threat or pressure tactics to try to get a customer to make a payment and we do not ask customers who make a payment over the phone with a real person at the time of the call”, explained Scott-López.
The methods and options that customers have to make payments on their bills are via telephone through an automated system, in person at c any of the LADWP service centers, through regular mail or through the website.
Scott-López said that they have noticed the increase in fraud in recent years through the calls they receive from their own clients.
“We have had clients who contact us to inform us that they have been victims of a scam or that they have received a phone call or a potential scammer has contacted them, ”said the spokeswoman.
She encourages clients that when something like this happens and you are not sure of the veracity of the alleged representative, call 800-342 -5397 to report what happened.
Indicated that it is best to be prevented before they become a victim. And if they have already provided their personal information or account information or made a payment, it is recommended that they contact the police to report that they were victims of a scam.
Once the person has sent the money to the scammers it cannot be reimbursed by LADWP because they were not the recipient of the funds.
Scott-López said that LADWP has also noticed an increase in calls from customers reporting people coming onto their property claiming to be LADWP.
The spokeswoman said that there are times when LADWP staff visit properties as part of its normal operations. But when doing this they are required to provide identification to prove that they belong to the LADWP.
“If a client feels uncomfortable with someone in their property and you are not sure if you can request an ID, you can call us to verify that someone authorized by LADWP is scheduled or should be on the property at that time, “said Scott-López.
The alternatives
LADWP has a program called “Help is on the way” which is a comprehensive program that provides a wide variety of resources and support for clients who may be experiencing financial challenges.
“We have extended payment plans up to 19 months, we have discount programs for qualifying customers,” the spokeswoman said. “Our internal customer service section can talk about other state and federal programs that are available, provide recommendations to customers.”
With the arrival of the covid pandemic-19 many people may have accumulated debts which becomes another way for scammers to take advantage as they can notify them of unpaid debts to scare them.
People can find more information at ladwp.com/cares or by calling 800-300-5397.