Scam alert! More and more LADWP customers have reported receiving calls from individuals falsely claiming water and/or power service will be disconnected unless payment is made immediately. These phone calls may seem legitimate in the moment, but in reality, they are just one of a variety of tactics that scammers take when targeting our customers.
Individuals impersonating LADWP employees may target customers via the internet, over the phone, or even in person. Frequently, they try to put the pressure on customers to act quickly so they will fall for the scam.
Both residential and commercial customers may be approached by scammers. With commercial customers, scammers may take advantage of busy times at a doctor’s office or the lunch rush at a restaurant. They may call the business and demand payment to prevent water or power disconnection within a short period of time—sometimes as little as 20 minutes. Other times, scammers may send phishing emails to try to lure targets into providing personal information or clicking malicious links.
Recognize the Signs
When facing that kind of pressure, it’s important to know the signs to help you recognize when you may be the target of a scam. If you receive a suspicious phone call, email, or visit from someone claiming to be an LADWP representative, keep in mind:
- We will never call you to demand immediate payment over the phone.
- We do not accept payments via prepaid credit card or cash apps like Zelle or Venmo.
- We only accept payments over the phone via our automated phone system. A live representative will never ask for or receive payments over the phone.
- All LADWP employees and contractors carry company ID badges displaying their name, photograph, and identification number. If someone comes to your home or business and claims to be an LADWP employee, always request a photo ID to verify.
- Scammers can “spoof” a phone number on caller ID to make it look like the call is coming from us.
If you are ever in doubt about your account, please call us at 1-800-DIAL-DWP to speak with a representative, or else log in to view your online account.
Reporting and Resources
If you believe you have been the target of a utility scam, you can report it by calling us at 1-800-DIAL-DWP or through our new online reporting form. To file a report of an individual impersonating a field representative, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department.
LADWP takes utility scams very seriously. We do our best to ensure that scammers falsely claiming to be our employees don’t take advantage of our customers. Visit ladwp.com/ScamAlert to report a scam or for more information and resources about how to protect yourself against them.
