A Jefferson resident told local authorities they had fallen victim to a utility scam. The Jefferson Police Department reports they were contacted at about 5:19 p.m. on Wednesday. The victim said the caller identified themselves as an Alliant Energy employee and said they were collecting on a past-due bill. The victim was told unless they paid $167.70 immediately, their power would be turned off. The victim provided the caller with their debit card information, but after thinking about the situation they contacted their bank and learned $500 had been withdrawn. The victim was forced to close that account and open a new one with a new debit card issued as well. Utility providers are reminding customers they do not operate in this fashion. Several attempts to collect any past-due bills will be made in writing and they will generally work with customers to set up a plan for repayment. Scammers often rely on a sense of urgency and threats to get their victims to react without going through the proper steps to ensure the claim is legitimate. The best course of action is to hang up and call the number on your utility bill to discuss whether or not the call originated with them. Anyone who believes they have fallen victim to such a scam is asked to contact their local authorities or to report the incident to the Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office through the contact points included below.
__________________________________
Iowa Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division”
Email: consumer@ag.iowa.gov
Phone: 888-777-4590
Fax: 515-281-6771
Mail: Office of the Attorney General of Iowa
Consumer Protection Division
Hoover State Office Building
1305 E. Walnut St.
Des Moines, IA 50319-0106
