SaskPower says scammers are sending fraudulent billing texts

SaskPower is warning customers about a scam that has started making the rounds.

In a media release Tuesday, SaskPower said it has heard from a number of customers who received a text message that claimed to be a billing reminder.

The message says the customer has an outstanding balance of $10.58 and if it’s not paid through the included link by Tuesday, the customer “may lose your electricity.”

SaskPower said the text message appears to be from an out-of-province telephone number, and there isn’t an active voicemail when the number is called.

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“SaskPower customers should not follow the link in the text message or provide any information to this website,” the release said.

“Anyone who believes they have fallen victim to this scam should contact their financial institution and their local law enforcement agency. Anyone who has received this text message should delete it immediately.”

SaskPower provided a few tips to protect its customers from being taken in:

• If you’re being directed to a website, look at the URL in any messages claiming to be from SaskPower. If it doesn’t read “saskpower.com” in the URL, it could be a scam.
• SaskPower never threatens to disconnect a customer through a text message.
• Payment reminders are only sent through email at this time.
• If you’re unsure about the legitimacy of a text message or email claiming to be from SaskPower, call SaskPower Customer Care at 1-888-757-6937 to confirm if the communication was real.

More information is available here.