High Desert residents should be on the lookout for a potential telephone scam from a caller who claims to be from the city of Victorville and is requesting money to avoid a water shutoff.
City officials said they learned about the con on Tuesday after community members reported receiving suspicious calls from someone who said they were from “Victorville Customer Service.”
The caller requested “water utility payments and personal information,” officials said.
The scammer is also using a “spoofing” device, so the caller ID shows as the city’s customer service number, said Victorville spokesperson Sue Jones. Victorville’s actual service number is 760-955-5001.
Customer service representatives would never call customers for payment to avoid a water shutoff, according to officials. Instead, mailed notices are sent.
Water shutoffs are also not in effect at the moment due to an executive order issued by Governor Gavin Newsom in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jones said each person who reported a suspicious call “found something off about the phone call they received, so they knew something was wrong.”
“For example, one person didn’t live in Victorville; so they knew it was strange to be receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be with ‘Victorville Customer Service.’ Another community member told us the caller asked for her address,” Jones said. “She was aware enough to question why the caller wouldn’t have her address if the caller was really…
