'I Would Be Very Suspicious If They're Asking For Personal Information'

By Justin Muszynski, The Bristol Press

July 6, 2021

Promises to lower energy bills, extend car warranties and other empty offers are just a few of the ways “phishers” seek information from the vulnerable population.

Though these robocalls declined in the state in 2020, YouMail, a company that promises to block these types of calls and protect consumers, reported that Connecticut residents still received about 470 million such calls last year.

While using a service like YouMail to block specific phone numbers may help fight off these calls, which can sometimes come in at an incessant rate, area police say education and prevention are the best methods to make sure loved ones are not taken advantage of by scammers who sometimes use bullying tactics.

“If someone is calling you who you don’t know, I would be very suspicious if they’re asking for personal information,” said Geoffrey Lund, a lieutenant with the Bristol Police Department.

The lieutenant said the most important thing to do when someone receives a call and suspects it may be a “phisher,” is to slow down and make sound, rational decisions.

“Don’t give out information over the phone,” Lund said. “They want to pressure you so you don’t have time to think things through.”

Lund said residents should be diligent in verifying a caller is who they say they are. This can be done either by verifying a company or agency’s phone number and calling it directly or even by a simple visit in person.

“Slow down, do your own follow-up. If they’re claiming to be your bank, just visit the local branch in person,” Lund said.

From the law enforcement end, it’s very difficult to prosecute the scammers behind these calls, as Lund said they usually involve “multiple people in multiple countries,” but reporting them can still be helpful as a way to help warn others not to fall victim. This is especially helpful when criminals come up with an original idea to phish for personal information.

These types of scams are not limited to those that seek information, however. Some demand money in the form of wire transfers or gift card purchases. Lund says this should be an immediate red flag.

A legitimate company or agency, Lund said, “shouldn’t be using gift cards as currency.”

Piotr Ceglarz, owner of Ceglarz Motor Repair & Sales Inc., warns consumers to be wary of offers promising an extended car warranty.

“Nobody from a legitimate warranty company is going to call you about an extended warranty,” Ceglarz said. “It’s just a scam.”

While legitimate car dealers do offer warranties, they don’t come in the form of unsolicited phone calls and they do not sell personal information to third parties, Ceglarz said.

“It’s getting worse,” Ceglarz said of robocalls. “It’s sad. It’s sad the world we live in that some people would take advantage of those who don’t know any better.”

Lund agreed that these calls have picked up in volume heavily over the past few years, calling the situation “completely out of control.”

The Bristol lieutenant said it’s hard to say exactly why this type of scam has ramped up in recent years other than that it must be working.

“If it’s successful, people are going to keep doing it,” Lund said.

YouMail reports that the country as a whole received about 46 billion robocalls in 2020.

Over the past several years, YouMail says, the number of these calls in Connecticut went from about 277 million in 2016 to 354 million in 2017; and from 532 million in 2018 to 643 million in 2019. Though the state saw a drop in 2020, with about 467 million robocalls, Connecticut in 2021 so far has absorbed about 263 million of these calls, which puts the state on pace to see an increase from last year.

“Unfortunately, scam calls occur practically every day and the covid-19 pandemic has led to an increase in scam activity,” said Mitch Gross, spokesperson for Eversource Energy. “Utilities across North America are dealing with this. We continually send reminders via social media, bill messages, news releases and other means regarding these types of calls.”

Some tips Eversource offers include looking for red flags like callers who threaten immediate power disconnection, those who ask for personal or account information or demand specific, unusual forms of payment and any request for a deposit to exchange a utility meter.

“We are not disconnecting customers for non-payment and we never ask for instant payment,” Gross said. “Don’t panic and don’t pay.”

Gross said that Eversource will never ask for personal information over the phone and they don’t accept payments via gift cards, pre-paid debit cards or other common tools used by scammers.

“Meters do not suddenly expire, so be wary of calls claiming payment is necessary for a new meter to be installed because the current meter is about to expire,” said Gross.

“Customers who receive a suspicious phone call or home visit should contact their local law enforcement,” Gross said. “Call us anytime if you have a question about your account – the customer service number is on your utility bill. This will ensure that you are speaking to a real representative.”