DARCP Alerting Consumers to a Rise in Scams Involving Impersonation of Utility Providers
Thursday, April 23rd, 2026 -- 11:01 AM
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is alerting consumers to a recent rise in scams involving the impersonation of utility providers.
Consumers and businesses report receiving phone calls which appear to come from their utility company. The caller impersonates a real, trusted Wisconsin utility provider and claims the recipient's account is overdue.
They threaten to disconnect utility services unless the scammer receives payment immediately. Any consumers or businesses who pay the caller are being scammed. It is unlikely that they owe any money to their utility provider.
Even if they do, real companies will contact overdue account owners several times, including by mail, before threatening to disconnect service. Legitimate businesses do not demand immediate payment over the phone.
While recent reports mostly involve phone calls, consumers and businesses may also be contacted by email or text message and should approach those messages with the same skepticism. Wisconsin consumers or businesses who receive a message about overdue utility bills should end the call or ignore the message.
After that, the consumer should verify that their utility account is not overdue by logging into their online account or calling their provider using trusted contact information from a previous bill or the company's official website.
Scammers often request to be paid in ways that are difficult for authorities to reverse or trace. One business owner reported to DATCP that they were sent a barcode and asked to take it to a specific retail store, where they could scan it at a register to pay hundreds of dollars for their (fake) overdue utility bill.
If a caller demands payment via barcode, cryptocurrency, gift cards, banking apps, or wire transfers, and refuses to accept a more secure form of payment, it's a scam. For more information and consumer protection resources, or to file a complaint, visit DATCP's Consumer Protection webpage at ConsumerProtection.wi.gov. DATCP's Consumer Protection Hotline can be contacted at (800) 422-7128 or [email protected].
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.