HUNTSVILLE – Area utility companies are warning customers about an increase in a specific type of scam, and how they can easily protect themselves.
This is a phishing scam that uses third-party payment services to steal private banking information from customers trying to pay utility bills, Huntsville Utilities said in a news release.
According to the utility, when customers search online to pay their utility bill, a number of fraudulent links sometimes emerge from that search that look legitimate.
Instead of taking customers to the Huntsville Utilities website or HSVUTIL App, the fraudulent links take unsuspecting victims to websites for third-party payment services promising to pay bills for a small fee, Huntsville Utilities said.
“These sites require entering personal information, such as bank account numbers, debit/credit numbers, etc.,” the news release said. “While these services may actually pay utility bills, we are seeing a rising number of cases where customer bank accounts are emptied, or fraudulent charges appear on credit card statements afterwards.”
Similarly, scammers are building web pages with URLs similar to Huntsville Utilities’, the utility said. When customers go to these sites and click the link to pay their bill, they are directed to a third-party service requesting personal information.
Officials are advising customers, when they see this, to stop and contact Huntsville Utilities.
“The only free, safe, and secure way to pay your Huntsville Utilities bill online is to use the MY HU link on our homepage at www.hsvutil.org or by using the HSVUTIL app,” the utility news release said.
Customers should never give personal banking information to a service that promises to pay their Huntsville Utilities bill. Doing so significantly increases the risk of identity theft and having bank accounts being compromised.
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