Scammers use email, door to door, phone to get money from our customers

Via email

Scammers ask our customers for money via email, typically identifying themselves as “Energy Billing Systems” or something similar. Demands often are for amounts of $500 or more along with instructions to click a link to make the payment. Some of the emails even provide a bogus account number for the customer to use in an attempt to make the request appear legitimate. We never solicit payment in this manner. If you have any question related to such requests, call us at 800-242-9137.

In person

Scammers prey upon our customers using a number of tactics. In the door-to-door approach, scammers use smartphones with credit card scanners. Recent reports from Ozaukee County indicate that scammers go to a residence and claim to be collecting utility payments. We never collect payments in person, and we ask any customers to immediately contact police if they encounter these imposters. These scammers also may be using fake We Energies identification cards. To remain safe and avoid falling victim to a scam, call us at 800-242-9137 to verify if an employee is at your property. When in doubt, do not let a stranger into your home.

On phone
Another ploy is known as the Green Dot prepaid debit card scam, which has targeted our customers and those of many other utilities across the nation. In the Green Dot scam, customers receive phone calls from scammers posing as our employees and are told their service will be disconnected unless they make an immediate payment. They are told to purchase a Green Dot or other type of prepaid debit card, load the card with money and then provide the card number over the phone. The scammers may have a fake We Energies caller ID to make the call look legitimate. Do not comply with callers asking for payment with a prepaid debit card. If you have any questions, call us at 800-242-9137. Scammers also have been targeting business customers:

Related coverage:
WISN-TV story
FOX6-TV story
New York Police Department video
FOX6-TV story on email scam