What You Should Know as a Local Business Owner
You receive a call or an unusual email that your utility services will be interrupted immediately if payment is not made. You get that feeling that something is wrong and thought you paid your bill already. Wait!! What just happened?
Doubt and panic has just been created in your mind and has caused many to react emotionally.
So, what is really happening that many business owners are falling for this utility scheme and what you should know?
Simply put, fear and panic is being created in the mind of the business owner and exploited if allowed. In this article, I will not lay out full details of the scheme but will touch on elements and lend a solution so the business owner can create some business safeguards and processes for their company.
Utility schemes are common to businesses and residential customers alike. Many fall prey to these type of schemes but don’t have to if they follow a few processes and stick with what you know.
1. Know who your utility company is and only allow yourself or someone else designated within your company to pay your utility bills.
Setup a policy and procedure for your business specifying who is allowed to make payments to utility companies. This can be kept in a separate location only accessible to upper management, but your policy should also be known to subordinates within your organization so they are aware of your practices.
2. Understand that your utility company should never make contact with you asking for personal or financial information. For security purposes, set up a two-step authentication process to safeguard your account.
They will however contact you notifying you of future payments or a late notice. Just keep in mind this is mostly done with the contact information you provided when setting up your account.
3. Only make payments through an authorized portal of the company who you signed up for.
They will never demand immediate payment with prepaid debit cards or gift cards or threatened to shut off utilities if payment is not made through the form of payment the criminal request.
Create strong usernames and passwords and keep them in a place only you know how to retrieve them.
Always pay through the portal you signed up for!
4. If you receive a notice or phone call stating your account is past due, it is easy to confirm your account status online.
Go to your utility company website. Login using your username and password you created and check the status of your account.
You can manage your username and passwords through Microsoft and Windows password manager. This feature will allow you to safely review your account without having to look for your username/password.
Not sure one how to use the password manager, look at a few articles on Google.
5. If someone does physically come to your place of business and say they are with the utility company and demand payment, just know this is a scheme. You should ask for Company Identification and call the utility company to confirm if they have an agent or technician on site.
Either way, do not make payments to anyone who comes on site to your place of business.
Remember to think twice and pay only through the payment portal provided by your utility company.
If you think you have been a victim of utility fraud, contact your utility company and local law enforcement.
Need help setting up your Standard Operating Procedures for your business, RuSecure Now has a small course on S.O.P coming soon.
