Seattle City Light Warns Of Billing Scams

Seattle City Light says con artists posing as utility bill collectors are targeting some of their customers again.

City Light said several customers with Asian-sounding last names recently reported phone calls from con artists claiming to be City Light employees who were ready to disconnect their electricity, said spokesperson Scott Thomsen.

In the scam, the callers claimed there were problems with payment of the customers' bill and asked for a credit card payment to resolve the matter. In some instances, the caller also asked for Social Security numbers.

This is similar to incidents reported to City Light during the past several years, Thomsen said.

"We do not demand immediate payment to avoid a shutoff for one late payment or use Social Security numbers as part of our billing process," Customer Service Director Kelly Enright said.

If a customer is behind on his or her bill and at risk of having the power turned off, City Light sends at least two written warnings asking the customer to contact the utility directly to make a payment.

City Light also wants to remind customers: • Seattle City Light accepts credit card payments at a customer's request, but never demands or solicits credit card information to pay a bill. • Seattle City Light does not call customers on weekends about their utility account. • Seattle City Light employees carry identification with the City Light logo and will always display it when asked.

All City Light customers are advised to take down the name and telephone number of anyone who calls and represents themselves as a City Light employee. Also, before customers provide any credit information, they should call City Light at 684-3000 to verify that the request is legitimate. If a customer believes he or she has been contacted by a con artist, they are urged to contact the Seattle Police Department at (206) 625-5011 to report the incident.