Utility shutoff call, text, or fake payment website
Scammers pose as a power, gas, or water company, threaten a shutoff, and push you to a fake website, ad, or phone number. Real utilities do not demand same-day payment by gift card, crypto, a payment app, or a mystery QR code.
How it works
One version starts when you search online for your utility and click a lookalike site or a paid ad. People on that site or phone line claim your bill is past due and press you for payment or personal information. Another version, documented in Idaho in October 2026, uses spoofed calls, emails, or texts about a planned outage and gives a fake callback number. When you call, they collect details used to change your account, or they demand a deposit to keep the power on. Idaho Power said almost 400 customer accounts had seen fraudulent activity, and some payments showed up under names such as 'Stallion' or 'PayEnergy.' Always use the phone number or web address printed on your bill.
Red flags
- Someone demands immediate or same-day payment and threatens a shutoff.
- They want a gift card, crypto, a payment app, a QR code, or a prepaid card.
- You reached them through a search ad, a new website, or a number that was not on your bill.
- They ask you to pay a fee for a 'defective meter' or other unusual charge.
What to do
- Hang up or leave the site. Call the number printed on your utility bill, or type the official web address from the bill.
- Do not pay through a link, QR code, or number you found in an ad.
- Check your official account or app for the real balance.
- Report the scam at reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov, and to your state attorney general or utility commission.
Where to report it
- reportfraud.ftc.gov — the FTC's report form.
- ic3.gov — the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.