The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) recently warned consumers to steer clear of scammers pretending to represent a federal program that helps people pay their utility bills. These scammers tell consumers that they must provide their social security numbers and bank routing numbers over the phone in order to process the payment to the utility company. Consumers are then given a fraudulent bank routing number to pay their utility bill through an automated phone service. Until the utility company recognizes the fake account number, the payment is initially credited to the consumer (who will also receive a payment confirmation notice). Generally, consumers only realize they have been scammed after the false payments are rescinded.
DCP advises consumers to never give out their personal information, such as social security numbers, to any unsolicited caller.
