GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Officials with the Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) announced on Thursday that they are partnering with local law enforcement to help stop scams.
In a release from WPS, the goal of WPS partnering with police departments and sheriff’s offices throughout northeast and north central Wisconsin is to share the warning signs of utility scams on social media and to flood newsfeeds with other important information to help people avoid falling victim.
Officials say some red flags of a potential scam include the following:
- Someone pretending to be from WPS by using a spoof caller ID or a recording that sounds authentic.
- Someone is threatening to shut off the potential victim’s energy within a short amount of time.
- Someone is demanding immediate pay and requires payment through a prepaid debit card, an app like Zelle or Venmo, or any other odd payment method such as cryptocurrency.
- Someone buys sponsored posts on search engines that pop up as WPS (Scammers use these to get a potential victim to call a fake phone number and share important information).
Officials with WPS say anyone who thinks they are being scammed should hang up their call with the scammer and call WPS at 800-450-7260 or share a scam awareness message with WPS on X (formerly known as Twitter) or Facebook.
Anyone who has fallen victim to a scam should report the issue to their local law enforcement. For more information or for more warning signs, visit the WPS website.
