An impersonation scam where con-artists claim to be from We Energies has impacted more than 600 customers this month, many here in Southeast Wisconsin.
Tony Ingrilli of Milwaukee said he received one of the calls from a We Energies impersonator at his family’s Milwaukee restaurant, Caterina’s.
He said the caller told him he was behind on his utility bills and owed money.
“He said 'We’re going to shut your lights off,’" said Ingrilli.
“There’s a lot of people that want to get in your pocket,” Ingrilli also said.
Here’s how the scam works. A We Energies impersonator tells you you’re behind on your utility bills or your electric meter doesn’t work. The scammer then tells you to purchase a pre-paid Visa debit card, tells you how much money to put on it, gives you a phone number to call and give the card’s numbers. All that money ends up going straight to scammer.
“We Energies does not solicit payments in a threatening manner. It’s important for customers to know that if they are behind on their bills, they should have plenty of notice from us,” said Amy Jahns with We Energies.
Jahns said the impersonator scam is nothing new, but what’s different about it this time around is the large number of people targeted. Just in the month of October, the company has had more than 600 reports of the scam. She said one customer lost $2,000.
Spanish speaking impersonators are being reported, but there’s no real trend in who is targeted. We Energies said reports are coming anywhere We Energies has service in our state.
Because it’s a scam, We Energies won’t reimburse victims, but by calling the number on the backside of the pre-paid debit card, there’s a chance they can get a refund. It just depends on if the scammer cashed the card yet.
We Energies reminds everyone impersonating a utility worker in Wisconsin is a felony and it comes with a maximum fine of $10,000 and or three and a half years of prison time.
