Scammers pretending to be agents of utility companies collecting overdue bills are calling consumers across the country, and state officials are warning that the scams "may soon be occurring here in Minnesota."
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission said consumers often turn to caller-ID to check if the call is coming from the utility company, but said in many cases the scammers are "spoofing" calls to appear as if the call originates from the utility company.
In Wisconsin, scammers are targeting the Hispanic community. Madison.com reported in August that state officials received six complaints within a week in the Green Bay area alone.
The Public Utilities Commission said if someone is suspicious of any call threatening to disconnect and demanding payment, you should hang up and call the utility company's customer service representative.
