Glendale Water & Power warns customers about scam calls
Glendale Water & Power is asking customers to be vigilant when answering their phones this holiday season.
The utility agency is being proactive in getting the word out about scam calls because there tends to be a rise during this time of year as people prepare for the holidays, according to a utility official. Scammers call customers pretending to be with Glendale Water & Power, threatening to shut off service if they aren’t paid immediately.
Atineh Haroutunian, public benefits coordinator with the utility, said scammers ask customers to pay using a credit card or a prepaid money card. She said those who do give money to the scammers usually don’t give the call a second thought and are just scared at the prospect of having their service turned off.
“Someone gives them a call, and they just want it taken care of really fast,” Haroutunian said. “People and businesses are so busy at this time that it’s very easy to target them.”
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Scammers typically use spoofing software so that the utility’s name and number appear on a customer’s caller ID, making it seem official. Haroutunian said Glendale Water & Power never calls customers demanding money, and it doesn’t use live phone operators to take payments.
“We’d never call and threaten to turn off your service,” she said. “You’d be warned so many times before that ever happens.”
Only two instances of a scammer calling a customer have been reported since October, Haroutunian said, attributing the lower number to educating customers early and often about bogus calls.
She also said the company has placed warnings at stores that sell prepaid cards, informing potential victims about scams.
Haroutunian said the two ways customers can pay their bills are to go online to the utility’s website or call the company’s automated service to make a payment over the phone.
Anyone asked to make a payment over the phone through a live operator is advised to hang-up immediately and contact the utility.
Visit GlendaleWaterAndPower.com for more information or call (818) 548-3300.
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Andy Nguyen, andy.nguyen@latimes.com
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
