The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers about a new wave of scams in which fraudsters pose as representatives of electricity, gas, water, cable and internet providers and actively use artificial intelligence to appear more convincing.
According to the BBB, scammers call, send text messages or emails supposedly from a utility company and report a “problem” with the account. They put pressure on the person, claiming that electricity or another service will be cut off within an hour, that a payment has failed, a bill is overdue, an urgent inspection of a smart meter is needed, or that the customer is allegedly due a refund.
Fraudsters use AI tools to fake operators’ voices, create convincing letters and messages, copy company logos and branding, spoof phone numbers and even mimic automated voice menus, after which the victim is connected to a bogus “customer service representative”.
Such schemes particularly often target new homeowners, tenants, older people and small businesses. The number of scam attempts increases after severe storms or mass outages, when consumers are anxious about service restoration, and business owners may be “caught” during peak hours, with demands for immediate payment to supposedly avoid disruption to operations.
The BBB stresses that genuine utility companies usually send several warnings before disconnection and follow established billing procedures. You should therefore be on your guard if you are asked to pay immediately, told to pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency, money transfers or via payment apps, threatened with instant disconnection, urged not to hang up or verify the information, sent links to “confirm” payment details, or asked to provide remote access to your phone or computer.
Thanks to AI, scammers also personalise messages using publicly available data from social media, database leaks and online records. Fake communications may include a real address, part of an account number, local phone numbers and official logos, creating the impression of genuine correspondence with the company.
To reduce the risks, the BBB advises consumers to slow down and check everything: if you receive a threatening call or message, do not panic, end the conversation and call your provider yourself using the number from an official bill or the company website, rather than trusting caller ID. Do not pay bills in unusual ways, and make sure to protect online accounts with strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
The BBB recommends being especially vigilant after bad weather or emergencies, discussing the risks with elderly relatives and other vulnerable family members, keeping up to date with information about new schemes, and reporting suspicious incidents via the BBB Scam Tracker service at bbb.org/scamtracker.
The Better Business Bureau organisation serving the Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia region also provides consumer advice on protection against fraud.