City Provides Safety Tips for Residents to Avoid Phone and Internet Scams

Lengthy Beach, CA – In response to latest mobile phone and online cons currently being reported by Lengthy Beach inhabitants, the Metropolis of Very long Beach is giving the following information and safety tips for inhabitants and business homeowners to stay away from turning out to be victims of fraudulent calls, textual content messages and email cons.

Metropolis Utility Provider Scams

Prolonged Seaside Utility Products and services, comprised of pure gasoline, refuse, sewer and drinking water services, has not too long ago witnessed an boost in connect with quantity from buyers reporting fraudulent calls. These calls and textual content messages are coming in outlined as the City’s utility get in touch with center variety, 562.570.5700, and anyone is posing as a Metropolis utility worker professing that the customer’s utilities account bill is earlier-owing and that their electric power or utility support will be terminated unless speedy payment is created.

Metropolis utility consumers need to be aware of the pursuing:

City Utility Services will in no way initiate a cellular phone phone or textual content requesting speedy payment. If you obtain a contact and there is a demand from customers for payment, you must disconnect the connect with and report the fraudulent contact to the Utility Client Service Line at 562.570.5700.
If the Metropolis were to speak to you about your utility bill, an automated voice message is sent asking for you to contact Utility Solutions so the make any difference can be settled. The City by no means calls utility customers demanding immediate payment to prevent disruption to utility companies and often performs with customers to take care of costs like the issuance of utility bill payment support courses.
Issues regarding a utility account may be directed to a client services agent at 562.570.5700. The Consumer Assistance Line is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Other Telephone or World-wide-web Frauds

The Lengthy Seaside Police Department (LBPD) is giving the adhering to data to ensure community users and their finances are improved secured from cell phone and web scams. These cons can involve career offers, household income or rentals and, in some cases, threats for monies owed to the IRS, or money for a loved ones member that has been arrested or concerned in an incident. Other scams can contain computer system repair service or the order of things from web sites this kind of as “Craigslist” or “Offer up.”

LBPD is supplying the pursuing to stay away from slipping victim to these cons:

If another person phone calls professing you have a warrant out for your arrest, hold up and phone LBPD at 562.570.7260 to verify. Never get in touch with the amount provided by the caller or the quantity that exhibits up on caller ID.
If an individual calls saying you owe income to the IRS, hang up and connect with your regional IRS business office. Legislation Enforcement businesses, including LBPD, and the IRS will under no circumstances accept wire transfers, income orders, Bitcoin, other cryptocurrency, or gift playing cards as payment.
Under no circumstances give out personalized data this sort of as title, date of start, social security number or lender facts to unsolicited callers.
Never ever react to an unsolicited email inquiring you to confirm personal facts this sort of as financial institution accounts or passwords.
Be wary of task provides that want you to receive wire transfers or checks and deliver revenue someplace else.
If somebody calls saying a loved ones member has been associated in an incident or arrested, simply call a spouse and children member and ensure that this is legitimate. In no way wire revenue or pay out a person with present playing cards in advance of verifying the info.
Never belief the amount that appears on your caller ID. Technologies will allow fraudsters to phony the caller ID info.
Realize that wiring cash, having to pay with reward cards or mailing cash orders to an individual is like sending money.

Reporting Scams

Mobile phone scams really should be documented to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov. World-wide-web scams really should be claimed to the FBI’s World-wide-web Criminal offense Grievance Center at ic3.gov. More methods on ripoffs and identity theft are available on these web-sites. To report any other suspicious exercise, get in touch with the City’s non-emergency cellphone tree at 562.435.6711.