Nelson Police warn public of hydro scam making rounds in Heritage City
By Nelson Daily Staff
A hydro scam making its rounds through the province has finally found its way into Nelson.
Nelson Police Department said Tuesday (March 3) a local business received a telephone call from a person claiming to be employed by a local hydro company.
The person told the business’ electricity was going to be disconnected immediately unless the business owner purchased “smart pay” cards/vouchers and followed the instructions provided.
NPD would like to warn residents and businesses of scams, and to advise anyone receiving a call similar to this, do not provide any personal or account information.
In addition, to check the validity of the request by hanging up and calling the local hydro company mentioned to ensure there is some credence to the call.
Last week in Delta, police said scammers defrauded several businesses out of thousands of dollars by posing as BC Hydro employees collecting on supposedly overdue charges.
The scam was similar in that scammers told Hydro customers to use a prepaid credit card to cover outstanding amounts.
It’s believed that fraudsters have targeted customers across the province in their attempts to steal money from residents and small businesses, especially restaurants.
Anyone concerned with scam calls are asked to contact Nelson Police Department at (250) 354-3919 or PhoneBusters at 1-888-495-8501.
