The Watertown Police Department has taken recent reports of individuals and businesses scammed out of money. Specifically, in these recent cases, the scammers indicated utility bills were past due and services were in danger of being disconnected. Watertown Municipal Utilities will not contact you via telephone and take payment over the phone. If in doubt, call them directly at 605-882-6233 if you have any questions. Here are some signs of a scam to help you avoid falling for one.
Four Signs That It’s a Scam
1. Scammers PRETEND to be from an organization, you know.
Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government. They might use a real name, like the Social Security Administration, the IRS, or Medicare, or make up a name that sounds official. Some pretend to be from a business, you know, like a utility company, a tech company, or even a charity asking for donations.
They use technology to change the phone number that appears on your caller ID. So the name and number you see might not be real.
2. Scammers say there’s a PROBLEM or a PRIZE.
They might say you’re in trouble with the government. Or you owe money. Or someone in your family had an emergency. Or that there’s a virus on your computer. Some scammers say there’s a problem with one of your accounts and that you need to verify some information
Others will lie and…
