COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

Customers of the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities have reported receiving scam phone calls stating utility payments must be made immediately during the call to avoid disconnection. While DPU may reach out to customers about past due payments by phone, the department’s representatives will never require that a payment be made over the phone.

In the calls reported to DPU, the callers identified themselves as representing PNM, the Public Service Company of New Mexico. All Los Alamos and White Rock properties with utilities are served by DPU, not PNM.

DPU officials urge utility customers to exercise caution when answering calls from unknown callers. Don’t provide personal information such as social security numbers, account numbers or credit card numbers over the phone. Anyone who is unsure of the legitimacy of a phone call requesting utility payments should hang up and contact the Customer Care Center at 505.662.8333.

“When our Customer Care Center representatives call customers, they already have relevant account information and won’t ask for personal identifiers,” said Heather Garcia, Deputy Utilities Manager. “Furthermore, we offer multiple ways for customers to pay bills, including coming into the office or choosing to pay online, so customers are not required to give personal or financial information over the phone.”

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