Summer Heat Waves Bring Out Utility Scams

The summer heat is here, and so are scammers posing as the utility company. You might get a call or email from someone threatening to shut off your electric service due to unpaid bills. With high temperatures making air conditioning essential, these criminals use fear to pressure you into acting fast.

They may demand immediate payment using gift cards, wire transfers, or mobile payment apps. Real utility companies don’t threaten immediate shutoff without notice, and they don’t demand unusual forms of payment. If you receive a threat like this, contact your utility company directly using the number from your bill—not the one the caller gives you.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

With about 1 million members in Virginia, AARP is the largest organization working on behalf of people age 50-plus and their families in the Commonwealth. To learn more about how AARP Virginia is working in your community, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aarpvirginia and follow @AARPVa on X at www.X.com/aarpva.

 

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.