Utility phone scams

Scammers regularly make calls threatening disconnection if payment is not made immediately. Utilities will never make a call threatening immediate disconnection if credit card information is not given immediately. If a customer has any doubt about the legitimacy of a call, we encourage them to hang up and call our listed number for any questions about their account status.

Vermont’s utilities follow very clear state rules when working with customers about paying past due bills and do not demand credit card information or alternate payment mechanisms from a customer for any purpose. If customers receive any call with such a demand they should follow these steps:

• Do not provide payment or any other personal information;
• Do not engage with the caller;
• Immediately hang up;
• Do not call back the number; and
• Call your utility’s customer service number – GMP (888) 835-4672, BED (802) 865-7300, VEC (802) 635-2331 – to report the occurrence and to share any information you are able to provide, including name of the caller, caller’s phone number, and substance of the call.

Further, customers receiving such a call are encouraged to report this scam by contacting the Vermont Attorney General’s Office Consumer Assistance Program at (800) 649-2424 (in-state only) or (802)656-3183 (from out of state numbers) or by visiting www.uvm.edu/consumer. Also, to further protect yourself against similar scams, please visit that same website address to read about similar past scams.