TORONTO, March 3, 2023 /CNW/ – March is Nationwide Fraud Prevention Month and Toronto Hydro is as soon as once more sharing data to assist clients shield themselves and their companies from falling sufferer to fraud.

In 2022, though the variety of fraud instances reported to Toronto Hydro was considerably decrease than the earlier yr, the full quantity paid to scammers elevated. Scammers largely focused small companies within the restaurant and grocery trade by threatening rapid disconnection. This made up 60 per cent of the full funds to scammers final yr.

Scammers are identified to impersonate native utilities by sending threatening cellphone calls, texts and emails, or displaying up in-person at a buyer’s residence or enterprise to request private data. These requests could embody stress for rapid fee, threats to disconnect service the identical day, and even calls for to buy pay as you go debit playing cards, reward playing cards or cryptocurrency, equivalent to bitcoin.

Toronto Hydro is encouraging enterprise and residential clients to guard themselves with the next tricks to keep protected:

• By no means make a fee for a cost that is not listed in your most up-to-date invoice

• Ignore textual content messages or emails with suspicious hyperlinks promising refunds

• Do not name the quantity supplied to you — as a substitute, name your utility on to verify the standing of your account

• Do not present any private data or particulars about your account

• Know that utility firms won’t ever threaten rapid disconnection for non-payment

• Should you really feel threatened in any approach, contact your native police

For enterprise clients particularly, Toronto Hydro is reminding house owners to be cautious of unsolicited calls and to not present or affirm any data from calls they didn’t provoke — together with deal with, account numbers or workplace particulars. Compiling an inventory of firms their enterprise makes use of, together with utility suppliers, will assist staff know which contacts are official.

For extra details about defending your self from scams and fraud, please go to www.torontohydro.com/fraud. Should you imagine it’s possible you’ll be a sufferer of fraud, please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and your native utility.

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“Toronto Hydro continues to take steps to coach clients on the right way to acknowledge and report scams, particularly small companies, who we now know are a typical goal amongst scammers. It is essential that we work collectively to share precious data that may assist shield clients and their companies from falling sufferer to fraud.” – Daniel McNeil, Company Spokesperson, Toronto Hydro

ABOUT TORONTO HYDRO

The Company is a holding firm which wholly owns two subsidiaries:

• Toronto Hydro-Electrical System Restricted (THESL) – distributes electrical energy; and

• Toronto Hydro Vitality Providers Inc. – gives streetlighting and expressway lighting providers within the metropolis of Toronto

The principal enterprise of the Company and its subsidiaries is the distribution of electrical energy by THESL, which owns and operates the electrical energy distribution system for Canada’s largest metropolis. Acknowledged as a Sustainable Electrical energy Chief™ by Electrical energy Canada, it has roughly 790,000 clients positioned within the metropolis of Toronto and distributes roughly 18 per cent of the electrical energy consumed in Ontario.

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SOURCE Toronto Hydro Company

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