Hang up the phone. That’s what officials are telling local residents to do when contacted by anyone claiming to be able to assist with utility bills and asking for personal information in return.

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities customers are the target of a nationwide scam that contacts residents and tells them they qualify for a federal assistance program, which they say will help save money on utility costs.

The scammers, who claim to be with BGMU, ask for personal information – most commonly Social Security numbers – claiming they need it to set up a new account for the customer. They either call, email or knock on the victim’s door.

But the true goal is to steal that person’s identity and money, according to Miles McDaniel, marketing and business development manager for BGMU.

“There is no such utility payment program out there,” he said. “We want to remind our customers that BGMU does not call to initiate a payment, and if anyone visits them representing BGMU, we ask that our customers ask for BGMU identity.”

BGMU has received complaints from customers who have been contacted by scammers, and some have fallen for it, giving the scammers personal information, he said.

It’s the first time such a scam has targeted BGMU, McDaniel said. But scams like this one are not uncommon, said Linda Chambers, manager of the Better Business Bureau in Bowling Green.

“A little bit of everything has been done,” she said, adding that one of the newest scams involves water pipes. “You may get an email saying you need water protection, insurance on your water pipes.”

She suggests that anyone who is contacted by BGMU – or any other business wanting personal information – should hang up, and then call BGMU. Scammers are proficient at making it seem that they’re calling from the business, so don’t even trust your caller ID. Most often, the call is a scam, Chambers said.

“There are many ways people can get help with utility bills, but never, ever give your Social Security number or date of birth to anyone who calls you on the phone,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who they are or who they say they are; you never do that.”

As scammers become more technologically advanced, they use the Internet to find out who BGMU customers are and how to reach them. And they often flip through the phone book, calling random people and assuming they are BGMU customers, Chambers said.

“Scammers are very good at getting people’s attention and getting them to trust them,” she said. “Don’t trust anybody that calls you on the phone and tells you they’re going to give you something.”

A similar scam also has been reported in Tennessee, Indiana, North Carolina and Florida, McDaniel said.

“We want to remind our customers that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.

“We want to remind our customers that BGMU does not call to initiate a payment, and if anyone visits them representing BGMU, we ask that our customers ask for BGMU identity.”

Miles McDaniel

BGMU marketing and

business development

manager