ST. GEORGE — Scammers have reportedly been spoofing the city of St. George’s utility phone number in an attempt to fraudulently obtain payments from unsuspecting customers.
St. George Energy Services stated in an advisory Saturday that there have been three reports of calls to commercial customers indicating their power will be turned off if payment of a late utility bill isn’t made within the next 10 minutes.
“This is a scam,” the advisory states.
The scammer is reportedly calling from a cloned phone number that matches the city’s legitimate utility phone line. The caller advises the customer that their account will be shut off for nonpayment unless money is submitted via wire transfer.
Anyone receiving such calls should hang up the phone.
“Currently, business customers are primarily being contacted,” the advisory states. “But is important that all our customers be aware of the potential for scammers to pose as utility representatives.”
According to the city, legitimate account shutoff notices are delivered by mail. A pink postcard sent via the U.S. Postal Service notifies the customer of the specific date payment must be made to avoid having services shut off.
The legitimate notice will include the customer’s name, account number and service address. Various payment options are offered to such customers, including:
- In person at the city offices, 175 E. 200 North, St. George.
- Online at sgcity.org.
- Calling the office directly at 435-627-4700.
For more information, call the city’s utility office at 435-627-4700.
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