Post Messenger Recorder -

A statewide crime alert has been received from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, involving a prepaid debit card scam in which the caller is falsely representing utility companies.

The most notable cases involve WE Energies, in which scammers identify themselves as a company representative attempting to claim unpaid utility bills. They assert that if not paid by a specific time later that same day, their utilities will be disconnected. The caller then instructs the victim to purchase a prepaid debit card and then call them back with the debit card numbers to credit the funds to their account.

The scammers target both residential customers and small businesses. According to reports from WE Energies, there have been over 700 incidents so far this year involving their customers, with actual losses from victims totaling more than $18,000. One of the scammers made a recording of the WE Energies customer service greeting and provided the victim with a phone number for verification that reached the recording to add legitimacy to the call.

Businesses and individuals are cautioned to be aware of this new form of fraud. The scammers appear to be making calls from locations outside of the United States and victims report that they often speak with a foreign accent. Scammers are able to develop considerable information about individuals and businesses from open sources including online phonebooks, business directories, Secretary of State and corporation records, voter registrations, vehicle registrations, drivers licenses, Google maps, etc.

Should you receive a questionable phone call from an unconfirmed source, it is recommended that individuals or businesses use customer service phone numbers found in the phone directory, company website, or previous billing statements. Outlets which sell prepaid debit cards can question individuals buying the cards whether the purchase just to pay for utility bill. If so, they should warn the customer that this may be a scam and should contact the utility company directly to verify the call.

The Green County Sheriff’s Office frequently receives complaints of Internet and telephone fraud on a regular basis. Because of the inability to prosecute, much less track down foreign scammers, investigations are only initiated once confidential identification information has been compromised, or there has been an actual financial loss. Otherwise, persons receiving such calls are encouraged to notify the misrepresented company in order that they may notify their customers of the criminal activity.

Sheriff Mark A. Rohloff