Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) is sending out a warning to its customers regarding a scam that involves threatening to turn off people’s water unless they pay up.
Residents of Dallas have complained of phone calls and text messages from a spoofed phone number that makes it appear as if the calls and texts are coming from DWU – 214-651-1441.
The caller, pretending to be an employee of DWU, tells recipients that their bill is overdue and then asks them to make a payment over the phone or through a text message link to avoid having their water supply shut off.
“Customers should not give any information in response to these communications,” an alert on the City’s website says.
DWU is urging customers not to fall victim to such fear tactics as it explains that calling customers before service disconnections deviates from its mode of operation. The City’s website explains that DWU does not call or text customers prior to disconnection, and notices of disconnection are only sent by mail.
The utility also says that it does not accept payments over the phone with a live person, but instead uses an automated telephone system that requires customers to phone DWU directly.
The City is urging anyone who might have fallen victim to this scheme to reach out to the Financial Investigations Unit of the Dallas Police Department by emailing [email protected] or phoning 214-671-3543.
In cases where customers have received a spam call and are concerned about their account’s status, the alert advises that customers can phone DWU Customer Service at 214-651-1441 to review their account.