r/Scams – Utility disconnect scam that was attempted on my…

Got a panicked call from my mom while I was in a meeting. She said the DWP claimed they owed money, and that they were pending a disconnect. There are some other issues going on with my parents right now, so them forgetting to pay a bill or missing a notice in the mail was entirely too plausible.

They provided an 800 number to call which had the same voice asking for language selection as the DWP’s phone system. No detectable accents like the other scam calls I’ve dealt with, and the DWP has a reputation for disconnect on billing errors.

They initially said I could make the payment at an office which added credibility, but when I told them I was out of the area they found a “kiosk” I could make a payment at near me. He asked if I had a copy of the bill as I would need to scan the QR code to make the payment, or he could send me a code. Of course there wasn’t one on the bill, so he said he’s send one to me. That’s when he said I would need to pay in cash at the kiosk – so we ended the call so I could “go to the bank.”

That’s when I was finally able to get through on the main number for the DWP and confirmed no money was owed.

I called back for my own fun to get the next steps, and that’s when he went into the “I’ll stay with you on the phone, etc.” crap came out. Got the address he wanted me to go to, was a generic money transfer place with Western Union services, and the “official DWP” QR code came from “proton.me”

I’ve had numerous scam calls in the past, but this one had me going for a bit – wanted to share in case it helps someone.

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