Telephone scam targeting city water customers

Friday, August 11, 2017

The latest in phone scams is targeting customers of the Greencastle Water Department, particularly businesses, the City Council was told Thursday night.

A person reportedly giving the name Kevin Rogers is calling city water utility customers, telling them they are delinquent on their water bill and that they must go get a money pak at either Kroger, local gas stations or Dollar General, Police Chief Tom Sutherlin told the Banner Graphic.

Persons answering are told to call (877) 878-8068 and provide the card information to a Kevin Rogers who then supposedly applies the money toward the supposed delinquent bill.

First of all, Greencastle does not contact customers who are delinquent on their bills and require them to obtain payment in such a manner.

“The water department doesn’t just call you up and tell you they’re going to shut your water off,” City Clerk-Treasurer Lynda Dunbar said Thursday, noting that the process does not require pay cards and normally includes hang tags on the front door of the residence or business, warning of an impending shut-off and how to avoid it.

Dunbar said several of the larger businesses in town have reported contact with the would-be scammers.

“We’ve been through it before,” she said, adding that ”hopefully nobody has paid with cards.”

One of the reporting parties advised that when the call came into the business, the caller ID showed (765) 653-3100, Chief Sutherlin said.

The scamming caller told the business that it was delinquent on its bill and that a tech would be sent out to the business within 30-45 minutes to shut off the water.

“As you know,” Sutherlin said, “the City of Greencastle doesn’t contact customers who are delinquent on their bills and require them to get a payment source through a local business.”

The police chief advises residents that if they receive a phone call of this nature to hang up and report it to local authorities.

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