BC Hydro phone scam is still claiming victims
Posted October 25, 2014 7:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Scammers pretending to be with BC Hydro are stealing thousands from businesses in North Vancouver.
Just recently, a business owner got a call from someone pretending to be with BC Hydro. He was told he owed the company money and his power would be cut off if he didn’t pay.
Hydro has warned of this before, and RCMP Corporal Richard De Jong says these fraudsters are counting on business owners acting right away to make sure their power is on and their livelihood is protected.
“He [was told} there was over $3000 owing on his hydro bill and [it] would be disconnected so unfortunately the business owner paid about $1000 via pay power before he checked with BC Hydro to learn that this actually was a scam,” De Jong explains. “You know, we are certainly cautioning everyone to never send money to somebody who you do not trust, who you do not know. You should always verify the person’s identity before you take any action and never give out personal information to an unknown caller.”
BC Hydro says they never collect banking information over the phone.
