Ontario electrical utilities warn of holiday season scams

Ontario’s electrical utilities, including Hydro One, are advising the public to be vigilant of fraud this holiday season.

The utility companies have come up with three Ps for fraud prevention: pause, prove, and protect.

They advise pausing when discovering a notification that could be remotely suspicious, rather than rushing into a payment scheme that may not be legitimate.

The utilities recommend proving the veracity of any potential scam by directly contacting utility companies, rather than being contacted (use the phone number on a utility bill.)

Finally, they recommend protecting all personal information, which should not be given out on a whim.

The public should be wary of any demands for immediate payment, which are meant to put pressure on individuals to take quick action before thinking through the possibility of fraud.

Any promises of refunds or updating account information should always demand scrutiny.

Utility companies will never ask a customer to pay their bill using gift cards, prepaid debit cards, or cryptocurrency (this advice can be used for scams far beyond just utilities).

Those who are concerned they may have been defrauded can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501