(FORT BEND COUNTY) – Both the Sugar Land and Fulshear police departments are warning residents that scammers are posing as CenterPoint Energy, calling from a number that appears to be CenterPoint and demanding payment or risk having their power cut off.
“CenterPoint confirmed they will never text or call you to ask for a payment,” said a representative of Fulshear PD.
“We do not want anyone falling victim to this scam, so a scammer is calling folks in and around Sugar Land claiming to be from CenterPoint, saying that CenterPoint will disconnect your utilities within 30 minutes if you don’t give them payment immediately,” the Sugar Land Police Department posted on social media.
Sugar Land PD offers the following tips:
Do not communicate or interact with suspicious phone calls, emails or text messages. Scammers can manipulate caller ID, but you can be sure you’re truly speaking with your utility company by hanging up and calling the phone number on your bill.
Ask to see identification before allowing a utility worker near you or into your residence. You can always call your utility company and ask if an employee was authorized to visit your home.
Phone agents will never personally request banking or credit card info over the phone.
Phone agents will ask for never payment via:
Cash
Money wire transfers
Prepaid debit cards (Green Dot cards)
Gift cards (Amazon, etc.)
PayPal, Venmo, Square Pay or Apple Pay
Bitcoin
Utility companies will not disconnect your services without first:
Mailing you a bill, noting your account is now overdue.
If the balance remains unpaid, they will send some sort of disconnection notice, stating the approximate disconnection date and time.
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