About once a month for the past few months we’ve gotten one of these scam calls. The Caller ID says “CONSUMERS ENERG” (because that’s the character limit of the screen) and the number is usually from the 517 area code. It’s always either a robotic voice or a recording of a person informing us that the call is from “Consumers Energy, your energy company” and stating that the power will be shut off within 30 minutes due to non-payment unless we call a certain 800 number to make a payment.
We knew this was a scam call because our account with Consumers Energy is set up on an automatic payment plan. However, not everyone has their bills set to be paid automatically every month. Scammers hope to prey on the uncertainty people may feel when receiving these calls (“Did I forget to pay my bill last month?”), and add the urgency of immediate consequences if preventative actions are not taken. Calls like this happen so often that Consumers Energy has created a page on its web site devoted to identifying scam phone calls so you can avoid being fooled by them. Consumers Energy notes that its employees will never do things like:
- threaten you that your power will be shut off within a limited amount of time.
- make demands, such as that you pay immediately over the phone.
- ask for payment via prepaid cards or wire transfers.
- request personal information such as your account number or Social Security Number.
If you receive a call and you’re not sure if it’s really from Consumers Energy, hang up and call the company directly at 800-477-5050. If your energy company is not Consumers Energy, find the company’s web site using a Google search and look for a Contact Us page.
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