LIVINGSTON COUNTY — Officials from DTE Energy are warning customers not to get fooled by “energy imposters,” according to a news release.
“Using new technology, scammers are posing as DTE by using lookalike phone numbers, emails and text messages,” officials wrote.
“These ‘energy imposters’ trick customers into sending money by threatening to disconnect service within a matter of hours or even minutes. Unfortunately, sometimes the threat of losing their energy service scares customers into sharing sensitive financial information and losing large sums of money.”
Officials say two popular scams involve asking for payment methods that aren’t viable forms of payment to DTE, such as Green Dot, Western Union, Bitcoin, Cash App or Zelle.
“Another popular scam comes through text message, where the scammers will send a bar code or URL that can be used at popular retailers to pay their bill with cash,” officials wrote.
DTE does not ask customers to provide account numbers. They validate accounts in other ways, such as asking for the billing zip code or the last four digits of a Social Security number. If a customer is behind on payments, DTE mails and emails warning notices with next steps.
Customers are urged to call DTE customer service directly at 800-477-4747 to find out if they’re actually past-due on their payments.
If a customer is visited at home or work by a person claiming to be with DTE, the customer can ask to see their DTE badge.
Those who think they’ve been scammed or targeted by a scammer should contact local police first, then DTE to report it.
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Here’s what DTE wants all customers to know:
- DTE does not threaten immediate shut-off if a bill isn’t paid on the spot
- DTE does not ask for unusual forms of payment
- DTE does not visit homes to threaten shut-off or collect payment for a late bill
- DTE does not use aggressive tactics to get into a customer’s home
- DTE does not claim a customer is entitled to a refund or rebate and ask for a bank account or credit card information to make the alleged refund
- DTE does not ask for your personal information for a government program that claims to reduce energy bills
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
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