The Pennsylvania Attorney General has issued a warning about an increase in utility-related scams, with fraudsters using threatening messages and fake websites to deceive residents into making payments.The 8 On Your Side team has previously warned about utility scams, which can reveal a lot of personal information to criminals in a short time.Utility scams appear in different forms These scams are occurring in different forms, including threatening messages through phone calls, texts, and emails, claiming that utility services are about to be shut off for non-payment.If individuals respond, they are asked for immediate payment through wire transfers, gift cards, or payment apps.Real utility companies cannot shut off services in this manner.In Pennsylvania, shutting off a utility service like electricity or gas is a process that takes at least a month, and customers will be notified before it happens.Scammers are also hijacking online search results with sponsored sites to mislead people.Searching for terms like “how to pay my utility bill” may redirect users to scam websites.To protect against these scams, it is advised to always have a copy of the latest utility bill on hand and refer to it for any phone numbers or contact information.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General has issued a warning about an increase in utility-related scams, with fraudsters using threatening messages and fake websites to deceive residents into making payments.

The 8 On Your Side team has previously warned about utility scams, which can reveal a lot of personal information to criminals in a short time.

Utility scams appear in different forms

These scams are occurring in different forms, including threatening messages through phone calls, texts, and emails, claiming that utility services are about to be shut off for non-payment.

If individuals respond, they are asked for immediate payment through wire transfers, gift cards, or payment apps.

Real utility companies cannot shut off services in this manner.

In Pennsylvania, shutting off a utility service like electricity or gas is a process that takes at least a month, and customers will be notified before it happens.

Scammers are also hijacking online search results with sponsored sites to mislead people.

Searching for terms like “how to pay my utility bill” may redirect users to scam websites.

To protect against these scams, it is advised to always have a copy of the latest utility bill on hand and refer to it for any phone numbers or contact information.