BC Hydro has seen a large spike in the number of scams attempted in the month of April compared to March.
In a statement released on Friday, the utility company says they’ve seen a 350 per cent increase in scams since last month after announcing the COVID-19 Relief Fund on April 1.
Over 500 reports of sophisticated attempted scams have been made during the month of April.
One of the types of scams involves a fraudster threatening service disconnection for an overdue account. BC Hydro has made it clear that no accounts will be disconnected due to non-payment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These are the two types of scams BC Hydro is warning customers to be wary of:
- Phone and email scam:
Customers receive automated calls or fake bill notification emails from fraudsters posing as BC Hydro employees, threatening disconnection for an overdue bill.They are then asked to call a 1-877 number to make a payment, and the number connects to a replica of BC Hydro’s phone system.Scammers then ask the customer to purchase pre-paid credit cards or deposit money into a bitcoin ATM wallet to avoid disconnection.
- Phishing scam:
Customers receive a text message that appears to be from BC Hydro, indicating that they are eligible for a refund. They are directed to click a link to submit their banking information for deposit.
BC Hydro wants all customers to know that in addition to not disconnecting any services during this time, the company does not collect credit card or bank account information over the phone, by email or text.
The company also doesn’t accept payment from pre-paid cash or credit cards, or bitcoin ATM, and does not offer refunds or credits through Interac e-transfer.
Anyone who receives any fraudulent messages similar to the ones described above is asked to contact BC Hydro at 1 800 BCHYDRO (1 800 224 9376) or check their MyHydro account.
These scams can also be reported to your local police department.
