Consumer Advocacy – Public Utilities (DCA)

Hawaiian Electric Companies are warning its customers to be alert for a phone scammers as a spike in reported phone scams have come in recently. The scammers in particular are targeting mainly small businesses and churches.

The companies offer the following tips:

• If the caller says your utility account is delinquent and threatens to shut off service immediately unless payment is made, it’s a scam.
• If someone calls from a utility demanding immediate payment over the phone, via money transfer, prepaid debit cards or by Bitcoin, it’s a scam.
• If the caller asks to meet the customer in person to pick up a payment, it’s a scam.

Read more about their scam alert from their news release.