Hick talked about his electric company woes at bingo on Wednesday night. No, he didn't win a prize, but he got a phone number for the electric company from one of his buddies who works for them. Like I've mentioned before, it's hard to find a trade or field where Hick doesn't have a contact.
Hick called on Thursday, and the recording while he was waiting for a person said that "A third party has been requesting a fee to pay a bill or establish service. We never ask for immediate payment. If this has happened to you, please report the number to your local police department." When Hick got a real person, he mentioned that had happened to him. The gal said that they just got that information from their corporate office yesterday, so had put the notice on their recording.
Hick put in an order to start service at the beauty shop building. We got an email about it. Hick has to talk to them more on Friday, after they do some research about that building's usage as a business. Which should show that it has not had electricity for over eight years (used to be my mom's beauty shop, and it had been closed for a couple years before she died in 2015). Anyhoo... that should straighten out the deposit needed for a business.
"How did you get that number you called in India?"
"I did a Google search for "How do you start electric service?" at [our electric company], and that's the first result that came up. I called the number, and it switched me to the call center in India."
"People pay Google to have their info come up. You should have asked me for the number off the bill."
"I figured something wasn't right. It usually starts out asking for your account number, and it didn't. Then the person wanted my social security number, and I told them they already had that, and I wasn't giving it over the phone. I did give them the last 4 numbers, though. I hope that's not a problem. And I definitely wasn't giving them a credit card number."
"Imagine how many people fall for that. I wonder how long it's been going on."
"I don't know. That lady said they just found out. Probably from customers calling to complain. So who knows. Oh, and get this! My buddy said one of their trucks pulled up at his house last week, saying they were there to inspect his solar panels. He told them too bad, because he has never had solar panels!"
"Why would they inspect them anyway?"
"Because they buy the extra electricity from them. But obviously it was a scam, because he doesn't have solar panels. Somebody must have set it up on his account or something. He said they were the real workers, and they had an order to inspect the solar panels. That he doesn't have."
Such a tangled web someone has woven, while practicing to deceive.
Usually, I find several sites all claiming to be official site. So, I am perpetually confused. Luckily, I have never gotten a fake site.
ReplyDeleteMy father had contacts in most trades and some officials in city.
I pay close attention to the url, but Hick was on his phone, and just figured the top result would be the official website for our electric company. So he used the phone number included there.
DeleteIt's always good to know insiders in different professions, to get referrals and information for things you are not familiar with.
Oh my gosh Val... It's getting so you don't know who or what to trust anymore.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness I've always had a suspicious nature! I keep a current statement from my old-fashioned paper billing, specifically in case I need to find out how to reach somebody to discuss an issue.
DeleteOMG! What a pair you two are! First, Hick takes on a call center in India. Then you wind up a blog post with a (slightly rearranged) quote from a Scottish poem written more than 200 years ago! What a pair, I say again! I am in awe. Gobsmacked!
ReplyDeleteI am sewing Hick a superhero suit of spandex to highlight his call-center-fighting physique. Although I have a bulbous head like Fred Flintstone's buddy The Great Gazoo, I could not come up with a suitable word to rhyme with "woven." So I am the lesser half of the pair this time.
DeleteHow about 'cloven' or 'behoven' for a partial rhyme?
DeletePractical Parsimony
Well, I was also considering the context.
Delete"Such a tangled web someone has woven, while practicing to 'cloven/behoven' ?" Doesn't work for me.
I guess all the scammers have spent their takings from last year and now need to refill their coffers so they are out in force taking advantage of anyone gullible enough. Warn all your friends.
ReplyDeleteHick has probably spread the warning throughout the county by now. He was voicing his concerns when he found out about the solar panel inspectors.
DeleteI will usually forward suspicious emails to my son with a big question mark and he will let me know what to do and what to look for. My son is so sweet he never complains about doing stuff for me. Well, not to my face! He is so easy going and loving. I would say sons are easier than daughters, but my oldest son was not easy at all!
ReplyDeleteI always check the internet address that it came from. I don't follow or open any links or attachments. If I think I need to respond with something, I will close it out, and go directly to the official website. NOT the first one that comes up on Google, either!
DeleteI can only speak of sons, but I agree that some are easier than others...