Dangerous New Scam Could Be Threatening Massachusetts Soon

Whether it's email, texts, phone calls, or any other method, scamming attempts are something that occurs regularly. Sometimes you hear about a brand new scam that's going around other times you hear about a scam that's been around for a while that rears its ugly head every so often.

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A scam that is affecting residents in New York and could be affecting Massachusetts residents soon (if it hasn't already) is the Utility Scam.

The utility scam entails suspicious individuals attempting to obtain personal information from residents by asking to maintain their utility services or purchase new services. This is bogus as you are not required to provide personal information to these individuals.

National Grid has a section on its website regarding utility scams. Here's some information from National Grid regarding protecting yourself from these utility scams.

Your Caller ID may say “National Grid” when a scammer is calling. If you are dealing with someone over the phone, please note that National Grid representatives will know your account number; never offer that information to a caller. Ask the caller to provide the last five digits of your National Grid account number. If the caller doesn’t know your account number and you have any doubt the caller is a National Grid representative, or if they have any questions about your account balance, hang up immediately. Call National Grid or local law enforcement officials.

National Grid's customer service center phone number is 1-800-642-4272. You can also report scams to the Federal Trade Commission by calling (877) 382-4357 or by going here.

No matter where you live in Massachusetts, whether Springfield, Worcester, Boston, or anywhere throughout the Bay State, nobody is exempt from being the victim of an attempted scam. It's important to know what to look for when an attempted scam occurs and protect yourself.