Carson City warns utility users of ongoing scam attempts
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Fri, 11/15/2024 - 1:38pm
The Carson City Treasurer’s Office and Carson City Utility Billing have become aware of fraudulent water bill emails requesting past-due payments from Carson City water subscribers, similar to fraudulent emails that are currently taking place throughout the rest of the United States.
Carson City reminds its water subscribers that Carson City does not send emails to water subscribers for outstanding or delinquent payments. When Carson City sends any outstanding or delinquent notices to water subscribers, these notices come in printed form from the Carson City Treasurer's Office, which is sent by regular first-class mail through the United States Postal Service.
While the fraudulent emails and notices currently circulating may appear legitimate, they lack the detailed information that an actual water/sewer/stormwater billing notice from Carson City Utility Billing would have, such as:
The customer’s complete account number and identification number (this is not public record).
Parcel ID number.
Name of the actual individual whose name is responsible for the water/sewer/stormwater service.
Actual mailing address for the water bill (which can differ from the service address).
It is important to remember that fraudulent actors and scammers utilize various schemes to make their illegal activities appear legitimate.
Whether through phone calls, emails, or text messages, there are indicators that residents can use to determine their legitimacy. Some of the indicators that fraudulent actors and scammers will use include pressure tactics—such as in the current fraudulent emails circulating now—to intimidate their targets to submit payment or else face termination of utility service.
With the fraudulent emails that are currently circulating, the fraudulent actors and scammers are intimidating those customers receiving the fictitious emails with the threat of additional fees or interruption in service. Carson City does not turn off water/utility service for any outstanding amounts owed and will not interrupt or threaten water subscribers with this type of action. Instead, Carson City will transfer any unpaid or overdue amounts owed for water/utility service to the annual real property tax bill in June.
Carson City reminds residents to remain cautious of any suspicious emails pressuring them to submit immediate payment or click on a link asking them to submit sensitive or confidential information, and advises residents to avoid and block these types of emails. If a customer receives an email advising an outstanding amount owed for water service and has questions about the email, the customer can contact the Carson City Treasurer’s Office at 775-887-2092 or email at treasurer@carson.org.
