West Seattle Crime Watch: ‘City Light’ scam caller AGAIN; car prowl on 34th

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon:

‘CITY LIGHT’ SCAM CALL HITS ANOTHER LOCAL BUSINESS: Amber at Freshy’s wanted to get the word out after hearing from the scam callers who claim they’re from City Light and you (usually a business) have to pay a bill immediately or lose your power:

They said my funds weren’t appropriated correctly and a technician was coming out in 30 min to shut off my business power. I had to call someone else and they said it would happen if I didn’t pay and then a technician called and said he would be there ASAP and was going to turn it off. Then they said it wouldn’t be able to come back on till Monday. I had to call someone else who said I had to pay the balance (which they knew the amount) and that they would reimburse later. I said that it was paid and that it has cleared my bank and he said that it was just “misappropriated.” I was so freaked I almost paid… Then I called the police and they said this was an ongoing scam. I called the guy back and said that I reported his number and the technician’s number and he said “chill bitch, chill”…then hung up. Maybe put the word out to businesses so they don’t have a near heart attack like me!

Our previous reports on recipients of these scam calls include this one from a year ago and several others. The city’s put out warnings including this one.

34TH SW CAR BREAK-IN: Matt‘s Jeep was broken into late Monday or early Tuesday in the 5900 block of 34th SW [map]. “I had a duffle with cold weather gear, a jack, and a bag of accessories for the winch that were taken out of the back. It was parked directly in front of the house. The 5900 block of 34th has had a high incidence of minor property crime, car prowls, utility theft, and police call outs over the last 18 months.”

P.S. Our report on last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting is in the works. Big topic: Police staffing.

7 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: 'City Light' scam caller AGAIN; car prowl on 34th"

  • colleen January 27, 2016 (2:56 pm)

    “I had to call someone else who said I had to pay the balance (which they knew the amount) and that they would reimburse later.”How would they have known the balance owed on someone’s electricity bill?

    • WSB January 27, 2016 (3:05 pm)

      Colleen – I believe, having heard how this has played out before, the second person knows the amount the first person cited.

  • onion January 27, 2016 (3:02 pm)

    Dang, Amber. I’m glad you dodged a bullet on this scam, that you notified the police, and that you gave the crook a piece of your mind. 

  • Gina January 27, 2016 (4:27 pm)

    If you rent and get one of these calls, hang up and call your landlord. The city utilities mail shut off warning notices to the property owner, and tape warning envelope to front door of business.

  • AMD January 27, 2016 (6:57 pm)

    And it takes more than one missed payment to result in a shut-off from my experience.

  • Nora January 27, 2016 (7:49 pm)

    If you have a withdrawal from your bank account that definitively went to City Light, you have paid your power bill, and they can’t legally shut off your power. If they apply your payment to the wrong account or otherwise “misappropriate” the money, that’s their problem.

  • Scott Thomsen January 28, 2016 (8:27 am)

    Thank you to the West Seattle Blog for sharing this information with your readership. Seattle City Light does not operate this way. If someone is calling and threatening to shut off your power unless you make an immediate payment, it’s a scam. Get whatever information you can and then call the police. If you ever have questions about your account status, call us at (206) 684-3000. Stay informed and protect yourself. — Scott Thomsen, Seattle City Light  

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