O&R Warns About Potential Scams

By Idy Perl

In honor of the International Fraud Awareness Week, which started yesterday, O&R is teaming up with over 100 US and Canadian energy and water companies to warn customers about potential scams. 

O&R is reminding their customers to stay vigilant and know common scamming tactics in order not to fall into a trap. With evolving technology, scammers can even make the O&R phone number appear on the caller ID, but O&R is urging customers not to share personal information if the caller sounds suspicious.

“Every year, scammers become more sophisticated and find new ways to trick people. We want our customers to know that there are simple ways to protect themselves,” Janette Espino, O&R VP of Customer Service said. “Any demand for payment threatening immediate shut off or pressure to give up personal information is an instant red flag. Customers should immediately use the My Account portal at oru.com, available 24/7, to confirm their account status, or call the company directly.”

These are some common red flag to watch out for:

• People trying to pull a scam often try to sell a customer on urgency. They’ll say company personnel are on their way immediately to shut off service.
• Scammers call customers and instruct them to buy a pre-paid debit card. Once the customer puts money on the card and provides the scammer with the card number, the scammer steals the money. O&R does not accept payment by pre-paid debit cards, MoneyGram or similar transfers.
• Scammers contact customers and demand payment via apps like Cash App, Venmo, Zelle or even Bitcoin. O&R does not support these platforms for payment.
• A person who shows up at a home or business not wearing an O&R ID is not a company employee. An O&R employee will politely show the ID to the customer when asked. If you are still not sure the person works for the company, call O&R at 1-833-460-7059 to get confirmation.