Wisconsin Public Service says they, too, have been hit by the recent outbreak of scam calls to businesses.
WPS Spokesperson Matt Cullen says the target this time are businesses..
"....the person has told people that they have to make a payment or face disconnection or loss of power, sometimes within half an hour. We want to remind customers that is not how our company operates...."
Cullen says if you get a call that makes you suspicious, call the WPS offices and check on your account. He says the scammers make demands the utility would never ask you to do...
"..the scammers have been asking customers to use pre-paid cards. We would never do that at the utility. We would never ask people to pay with pre-paid cards. We also asking people, if they get a call they believe is suspcious, to hang up and give(WPS) a call right away...."
We Energies says more than 100 of its customers were called Thursday by thieves who claimed their electricity would be shut off if they didn't get a prepaid debit card and pay their overdue bills immediately -- and at least two customers followed the callers' orders and lost money. It's illegal for utilities to shut off power in Wisconsin between November and mid April when the state's winter moratorium is in place.
