EPHRATA — Grant County PUD is warning customers that scammers are once again targeting the PUD, and that it’s becoming a periodic occurrence.

The PUD becomes a target for scammers, the warning goes out, the scammers disappear and then reappear in a couple of months, said Chuck Allen, PUD public information specialist. And scammers are getting more sophisticated with their thieving techniques.

Scammers like to target communities with one utility company, Allen said, and frequently they come back more than once.

Some scammers now program their phones with the PUD phone number, Allen said. "Don’t go off what’s on the caller ID.” With problems like mail theft, some private information may be out there, and scammers may have access to it.

“Unfortunately, they’re getting more and more sophisticated,” Allen said.

“They’ll call 100 numbers to get one.” Once the victim picks up the phone, they are told they have a pending electric bill and it must be paid – immediately.

The PUD does sometimes call customers who have pending bills, Allen said. But a scam call will be very different from a legitimate PUD call, Allen said.

Scammers will try to threaten a customer with the demand for immediate payment. They used to ask for debit or credit card information, but “they’re pretty smart now,” and have changed their approach.

Now they ask a customer to buy a prepaid card and call back with the card number, Allen said. “That should be an immediate red flag,” since the PUD doesn’t do business that way, he said. A legitimate PUD representative won’t ask for any kind of prepaid card.

Allen said people should hang up if they’re not sure and, if they’re concerned they may owe money, call the PUD.

But scammers being scammers, they have anticipated the possibility that potential victims may want to call back. So some scammers provide a – fraudulent – callback number.

That too is a red flag, Allen said. People who have been contacted and are unsure about the call’s legitimacy should call the PUD using a number listed in the phone book or from the PUD website. “We want customers to call us back,” Allen said, “at the PUD number.”

Legitimate calls from the utility will come between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Allen said, and not in the evening or on weekends. “That’s a huge red flag. We would never call after hours.”

People who are suspicious about attempted fraud should contact the PUD, Allen said. “Call us back and talk to us.”

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.