San Jose police are warning residents about a telephone scam in which the caller impersonates a city employee and requests payment for an overdue utility bill.
The police department received a report of a caller impersonating a worker with the city of San Jose's Customer Contact Center at the number 408-535-3500. The caller then tells the victim that their water, garbage or electric bill is overdue, and payment should be made immediately via Zelle or another option, police said.
The victims are mostly Spanish speakers, police said.
Many of the calls are disguised on caller-ID as a reliable location, and the caller will impersonate a representative of that calling location, police said.
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Anyone who receives such a call should not provide personal identifying or bank information. Instead, they should hang up and report the call to police. Those who believe they've been a victim of a scam can file an online report with the San Jose Police Department at www.sjpd.org or call 408-277-8900.
Police recommend victims contact their bank or financial institution to make them aware of the scam. For more information on current, common scams, visit www.fraud.org.
