What I Would Do If I Lost My Wallet

Losing a wallet is a traumatic experience, with possible long-term negative effects on your financial health. In the best case, you lose the cash you were carrying, in the worst case, you could lose your identity. Click here to read my lost wallet checklist.

Is President Obama Paying Your Utility or Electric Bills?

Courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A new scam by identity thieves is targeting utility customers nationwide. It involves a rumor that President Obama is paying American consumers' electricity or utility bills.

Recently, a rather disturbing email popped up in my inbox. On June 6, my utility company alerted me to a nationwide payment scam where scammers, posing as utility billing personnel were calling to tell customers of a one time payment by President Barack Obama towards utility bills. All the customer had to do was provide a social security number and verify some personal information and their electric bill would be paid, just one time, by President Obama. The funds would be wired by a Federal Reserve Bank, whose (incorrect) routing number was then provided by the scammers.

On June 27, Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) sent out a warning letter to its customers.

According to the utility companies, the scammers also used text messages, email, even social media to lure customers into believe that a single bill would be paid with a federal credit or payment.

President Barack Obama providing credits or applying payments to utility bills sound too good to be true? It is. Giving your social security number away is an invitation for identity theft.

While the reach of the scam is still increasing, electric and natural gas utilties in CO, FL, IA, GA, KS, MI, MS, NC, NJ, NY, TN, TX, UT, VA etc have already sent out warning emails to their clients. The scam has also been reported on Snopes and various local media, such as a CBS affiliate in Dallas.
While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services does offer a Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), no universal credit is being made available by President Obama to pay utility bills for all Americans.

My utility has advised customers who believe are victims of the ulitity bill payment scam to notify the proper authorities, such as local police and report the incident to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) at (800) 242-5846 or (973) 504-6200. LIPA did not provide a contact number in their letter. Residents in other states should contact their own consumer affairs divisions.

No matter what the temptation, I will never provide my social security or other sensitive information over the phone. Here are some of my other safety tips.


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