The Mississippi Public Service Commission is warning customers to be on alert for a scammer posing as a government employee.
The agency has been made aware of an imposter calling Mississippians under the guise of a public service commission employee. The scammer is asking to collect bank account numbers to deposit overcharges from a customer’s utility company into their account.
On Thursday afternoon, the commission received a phone call from an unidentified female citizen who requested to speak with a non-existent MPSC employee. The resident reported that this person had called her and represented himself to be a member of the commission’s staff, including providing a phony badge number. The scammer alleged that a utility company had made a billing mistake, and the customer was due a refund.
Under the false guarantee of facilitating a refund of the over-billed amount, the scammer obtained the customer’s bank account information. Immediately after receiving this information, the commission advised the citizen to report this fraud to her bank and to contact the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office to file a report.
For those who may be targeted by this scammer, the commission reminds Mississippians to observe the following:
- Do not provide bank account information — the commission will never ask for someone’s bank account number.
- If you receive a suspicious call, hang up and contact your utility company directly to verify any account information.
- Protect yourself and your personal information — never give out personal information over the phone.
- Stay vigilant and report any similar suspicious activity to the commission and the attorney general’s office.
The offices of each public service commissioner representing Mississippi’s three districts can be contacted here.
