The Glendora Police Department is offering some tips to identify potential phone scams after a recent rise in phony water bill calls have been made to residents.
The City of Glendora published information online to residents Tuesday, warning them of a scam in which an unknown caller tells their victim that water service will be shut off due to non-payment of a bill, subsequently demanding payment over the phone.
Glendora officials emphasize that the city will never call to notify residents of water service shut off.
Some residents, after receiving the phone scam, called the city’s Water Billing Division to verify, only to learn nothing was wrong.
This type of scam and others like it is nothing new, said Glendora Police Lieutenant Matt Williams.
“Just like any other scam, it comes in waves,” Williams said.
The last time the city noticed a rise in these scams was in March of 2016.
Williams offered tips on what to do if a resident receives a potential scam over the phone:
- Record caller ID information, if any.
- If speaking to an actual person, note the specifics of what is being said to gather clues.
- Make note of how the potential scammer is demanding payment (credit card, prepaid Green Dot card, gift cards, etc.).
- Verify alleged account delinquencies with the right city department first.
“Usually, these types of scams with high dollar amounts, they [the scammers] will direct the resident to go to the local store and get several gift cards and tell them the number, so they can go on to a website and grab the money straight off the gift card,” Williams said.
Visit the City website and read more on other types of scams affecting residents.
If you believe a call you received is a scam, call the Glendora Police Department to file a report at (626) 914-8250.
