According to the most recent City Manager’s Update, the City of Monrovia has received reports that scammers pretending to represent the City of Monrovia Water Department are targeting customers by phone and requesting that they make an immediate payment to avoid their water service being shut off. These calls are an attempt to defraud by either obtaining credit card information and/or arranging for a fraudulent payment to be made.
If you receive a call that sounds suspicious or is about an unpaid bill that you do not believe you owe, hang up the phone and call the Water Department at (626) 932-5517.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you receive a questionable call:
- Scammers can “spoof” a company phone number, meaning that your phone’s caller ID may show that the call is coming from “Department of Water and Power” even if it is not.
- Some scammers use automated voice-response systems similar to those used by legitimate pay-by-phone services.
- The City of Monrovia Water Department will never ask you to pay your bill using gift cards, pre-paid credit cards, Bitcoin, or money transfers.
