OMU Warning of Scam Calls

To paraphrase a famous quote from the 1976 classic Network: "I'm mad as heck, and I'd love to NOT have to take it anymore!"

By that I mean, scams and scammers and ALL the ways these people work very hard to make your life and my life just a little bit more uncomfortable. I had it happen earlier his week on my Facebook page and was forced to change my password. It's always a little chilling when you get that notification.

And eight years ago, my laptop got hit with ransomware; I was to give some mysterious entity X number of dollars for the Feds were going to come busting through my door for some nonsensical reason. Yes, that was EIGHT years ago, and we're still dealing with it today.

Honestly, the best way to stave off such attacks is to just be more vigilant.

Owensboro Municipal Utilities (OMU) has issued a warning about scammers calling to warn customers they'll be disconnected if they don't comply with whatever demands are issued.

Here's what OMU says we should do to protect ourselves in the event we get such a call:

"OMU will never ask for vital personal information over the phone and will only take credit card information when you want to pay by phone.

If you’re unsure if a call is actually coming from OMU (as scammers can often confuse your caller ID systems), please ask for the employee’s name, hang up and call OMU’s Customer Service Center at 270-926-3200 and ask for that employee.

OMU employees carry proper ID and will be glad to show that identification upon entering your yard or approaching your home or business.

OMU field personnel also drive clearly marked vehicles.

Our workers in the field will never ask for a credit card.

Do not share your account number, banking information or other customer information if you cannot verify the caller or visitor is an OMU employee.

If you are unsure that someone is an OMU employee, ask for their identification and do not let them into your home. Call our Customer Service Center at (270) 926-3200 and confirm their information."

This reminds me of calls I've received (but not, thankfully, in a very long time) asking me to give them my social security number for some ridiculous. It's scary to think how many people have actually done that; scammers wouldn't continue to try if they weren't successful from time to time. (But again, it's been a LONG time, so maybe something DID happen.)

Sometimes, these calls are easy because you'll get someone who really hasn't done their homework. Case in point:

OMU/Facebook

But apparently, OMU's number does come up on caller ID:

OMU/Facebook

Protect yourself. Don't give out sensitive information over the phone--ESPECIALLY if they call YOU and ask for it.

THAT is a massive red flag.

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