THUNDER BAY — Everyone’s a little busier over the holiday season.
It’s why Synergy North is asking its customers to be especially vigilant and on the lookout for energy Grinches looking to scam them out of their hard-earned money.
Lesley Racco, a spokeswoman with the power utility, said the holiday season is a popular time for scammers to hunt for prey, using high-pressure tactics aimed at scaring their marks into thinking they owe Synergy North money and threatening them with disconnection if they don’t pay up immediately.
“Unfortunately, we do see this as a peak season, where scammers target our customers, both residential and businesses. So we’re just warning our customers this year to be alert, be aware, keep their wits about them and just remember our utility practices,” Racco said.
Most importantly, Synergy North never threatens anyone with immediate disconnection. If money is legitimately owing, customers are given time to make a payment and would see a number of warnings leading up to their power being shut off.
Racco added that an educated customer is a lot less likely to fall for a scam.
“Always know your most recent bill. Know what your balance is, know when your last payment was, know if you have any pending payments,” Racco said.
“We do recommend that our customers have our My Energy account. You can access your account 24/7 online, or you can always just give us a call from Monday to Friday.”
Anyone who does receive a suspicious call should never make rash payments, but instead check with the utility itself for confirmation.
“We ask if you receive a scam that’s suspicious, by text or by email, and you get a link, don’t click on the link. Once again, give us a call and we can go through and see if we’ve sent you an email or not. If someone’s at your door or on your phone, do not give out your personal information. Do not give a copy of your bill.”
Another tip is not to call any phone numbers given to you by the scammer, as they are likely fraudulent too.
If a suspected scam call is received, customers are asked to phone the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
Synergy North’s number is 1-833-428-1451 or they can be contacted via email at [email protected].
