Depending upon who you ask, we’re living in the age of peak TV, information overload, disbelief, social media and dozens of other things.
But perhaps it’s best to say that we’re living in the age of scams. Sure, scams go back to the biblical days, but they’re omnipresent.
In the past 24 hours, I’ve gotten phone calls from spoofed numbers alleging that I owed money. Same with text messages. And I’m still getting emails from Nigerian princes who will happily give me millions if I help them.
Throw in all the “fake news” and/or deceptive practices prevalent these days and it turns into an avalanche.
This means that sooner or later, scammers will target your utility and, more likely, your customers.
These scammers often rely on the good reputation your utility has.
While dealing with scams is a nuisance, your utility needs to tackle the problem head-on. Since your reputation is on the line, you must be proactive.
Start with the basics: Get the word out to the public that a scam is going around. Distribute a press release widely to all your relevant media contacts.
Don’t stop there: Now you must follow up.
I get 200 press releases a day sometimes and other outlets likely get more, so it’s easy for information to get lost. Try to confirm, especially with the local television outlets.
Keep things simple in the release. Describe in detail how the scam is occurring – explain how it works and how it contrasts with your utility’s actual payment policies. Include warnings that utility employees don’t make in-person visits to customer homes to discuss bill payments or send notices via text messages.
Provide contact information for customers who suspect they are being scammed. That might include numbers for police, the local attorney general’s office and any consumer protection bureaus.
There are other steps to take.
Your website is a great place to include detailed information. It might be fortuitous to devote a tab to scams.
Send email alerts to customers.
Devote a bill stuffer to scams and how to combat them.
Mention scam warnings on your utility’s telephone hold messages.
Since consumer-oriented topics are popular with content-hungry news programs, you could even ask the local morning show to host a segment about scams, having a company executive speak about the problem.