Washingtonians: Watch Out For Utility Company Barcode Scams

Washingtonians: Watch Out For Utility Company Barcode Scams

If you are like me, the first thing you do when you get a bill in the mail is rip open the envelope.

For me, I want to know what I owe and then I open up my bank app to schedule and pay the bill so I don't have to worry about forgetting it.

In my haste, it could be much easier to get scammed these days and the Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers in Washington State to watch out for utility company bills that might be scams.

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Everyone is using QR codes and barcodes nowadays and scammers are using utility bills to get residents to pay through these codes to avoid shutoffs.

According to a press release from the FTC, any supposed call from the Utility Company asking for payment from a late bill might be a scammer.

You'll know it's a scammer because there will be an urgency to pay the bill now. The scammers will have you scan a barcode and have you go to Walmart or Walgreens to pay your bill.

The FTC warns that any urgency to pay the bill immediately and through a QR or barcode is likely a scammer.

Here’s how to deal with calls or messages that appear to come from your utility company:

• Contact the utility company yourself. If you’re worried you might be behind on your bills, call the company using the number on your bill or the utility company’s website ― never the number the caller gave you, which will lead you back to the scammer.
• Know only scammers demand you pay a certain way. Scammers ask you to pay in a way that makes it hard for you to get your money back — wiring money, putting money on a gift card, using payment apps, paying with a scannable barcode or QR code, or cryptocurrency. Your utility company won’t demand you pay that way.
• Act quickly if you suspect you paid a scammer. Contact the company you used to send the money and tell them it was fraud. Ask for their help to reverse the payment. You might be able to recover some of your money.

If you have any issues with a call from your Utility Company, make sure you call them or contact the FTC for help - don't get scammed, play it smart, and avoid scanning barcodes and QR codes no matter what bill you are trying to pay from an unknown source.