Greer Commission of Public Works (CPW) is reporting the past weekend’s flurry of fraudulent phone calls to the FBI.
A half dozen phone calls were made to CPW customers Saturday representing the company as employees demanding payment on overdue bills, according to Matthew Brady, a spokesman for the utility.
The callers tell customers that they are late on payments and must pay over the phone or risk being disconnected from service.
“We’re hearing the callers were aggressive and looking for immediate payment,” Brady said. “They were rude and nasty. We're going to notify the FBI."
Calls to the FBI didn't have time to respond to this early report.
Brady said some departments at CPW were informed of the calls Saturday and General Manager Jeff Tuttle suggested an advisory to alert customers.
Brady said its customers should hang up and call the utility.
Katie Witherspoon, spokesperson for the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce, said a Taylors business called Saturday about suspicious activity but it could not confirm if was an illicit activity.
The Greer Police Department received CPW’s news release from Brady on Saturday but hasn’t had any conversation with the company, Lt. Jim Holcombe, said.
CPW reported it does not contact customers over the weekend, and the business doesn’t call to ask for personal or financial information.
Customers affected by the scam should contact CPW during normal business hours (weekdays, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) to check their account. Customers should also report the activity to local law enforcement.
Fraud prevention tips
• CPW will not call customers to ask for payment information. Do not give out bank account or credit card numbers.
• Do not accept offers from anyone, including those claiming to be CPW employees, to pay your bill or provide any other service for a fee.
• CPW will not call to ask for personal information. Never share personal information, including birthday, Social Security number, or banking account information.
• Customers can call CPW at 848-5500 with account questions. Call police immediately if customers believe they are a victim of a scam.