National Grid says scammers are posing as the utility and threatening to cut off power over unpaid bills. The calls can look real on caller ID.
National Grid is warning home and business customers about phone scams. Callers claim an account is past due and say service will be shut off right away unless the person pays. The calls can appear to come from National Grid itself.
Scammers use a method called spoofing. It fakes the number shown on your caller ID, so a trusted name can appear on your screen even though the call is not from that company. The pressure is part of the plan. A threat of losing power is meant to make you pay before you think.
National Grid says it may contact customers about their accounts or service. So a call about your bill is not automatically fake. What gives it away is a demand for immediate payment by prepaid card, gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a third-party payment app. The company says it never asks for payment that way.
The alert box above lays out the steps. The short version: do not pay on the call, and check your account using the number printed on your bill, not a number the caller gives you. Never share personal or financial details with an unsolicited caller.
National Grid did not say how many customers have received these calls, when they started, or whether anyone has lost money. The company serves electricity and natural gas customers in New York and Massachusetts.
If a caller threatens a power shutoff and wants quick payment, hang up and call the number on your bill.
The Attala County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi says scam calls are reaching residents, and a call that sounds official may not be.
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