Glendale Water & Power Customers Receiving Calls to Pay or Get Disconnected

Glendale Water & Power (GWP) is warning customers that there is an increase in utility phone scams.

Many GWP customers have recently reported receiving phone calls from impersonators posing as customer service representatives asking customers to pay their GWP bill over the phone. Callers direct customers to purchase a “Green Pack Money Card” from 7-Eleven or Rite Aid convenient stores, or face an immediate water or power shut-off. These scammers also use sophisticated spoofing software to display GWP or a local (818) phone number on customer’s caller ID, making the customer think it is a legitimate call. Customers that are asked to purchase the “Green Pack Money Cards” are given another local phone number and a specific time to call back and provide the money card information. Many of these callers are overseas, and once they have access to the money card number, they immediately draw out the funds and are untraceable.

Working in conjunction with the Glendale Police Department, Glendale Water & Power regularly posts fraud alert messages on its Twitter, Facebook and the GWP Website alerting customers about these particular calls and reiterating GWP bill paying procedures. Glendale Water & Power has also sent out direct letters to its business customers in English, Armenian, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean alerting them of this type of scam.

The utility would also like to remind customers that customer service representative will never ask for payment over the phone or at a person’s home or business. Customers can pay their utility bills securely online or through our automated phone system. If customers continue to receive these types of calls asking to pay a balance over the phone, customer should contact GWP immediately at (818) 548 3300 to verify their account balance or check their account status online at any time on the GWP website, www.GlendaleWaterAndPower.com. Customers should also report these types of phone calls to the Glendale Police Department at 818-548-4911.