COLUMBUS, OH (WCMH) – The Columbus Department of Public Utilities is warning customers about a person posing as a city employee and demanding payment on utility bills.
Workers at the department’s call center got a call from a man on the west side who said someone came to his door dressed in a city employee uniform and asked for the payment.
The Columbus Division of Police and the Utilities Department told NBC4 this is a problem that happens frequently.
“Customers call in and they say that someone approached them on a door-to-door basis, that they owe money on their bill and they’re there to collect,” said Laura Young Mohr, spokesperson for the Department of Public Utilities. “And what we’d like our customers to know is that is never us. Our crews are not even allowed to take money in the field.”
Mohr urged people to call police immediately, while the person posing as a city employee is still in the area, so that police can catch them. She noted that the department has about 20 contract communities and said people in the suburbs should contact their local police rather than Columbus police.
Mohr said there are some valid reasons that a city employee might come to the door.
“There may be a maintenance issue that’s going on in the neighborhood, and in that case, they may need to knock on the door to check on something,” Mohr said. “They would never collect money. They should have a uniform on, they should be in a city truck, they should have a staff badge ID.”
Anyone with questions can call the Department of Public Utilities at (614) 645-8276 or call the Columbus Division of Police at (614) 645-4545.
Customers can also file complaints at this link: https://www.columbus.gov/police-reports/What others are clicking on: