Farmington Hills Police Department is warning residents of the return of a 2019 DTE Bitcoin phone scam, for which it is currently investigating a recent string of frauds.
In the scam, people posing as DTE employees threaten to cut off a resident’s power if their “past due” bills aren’t paid.
To resolve the issue, citizens are instructed to travel to the “nearest DTE payment center”, described by the caller, which is actually a Bitcoin machine.
The scammer will then send what appears to be an authentic QR access code, which includes the DTE logo, so the resident can deposit cash into the machine using the code.
In some instances, the caller will attempt to convince the resident they have not deposited the correct amount of money to try to obtain more money from the resident.
Once the deposit has been made, the money cannot be recovered.
Police are reminding residents that no legitimate business or utility company will demand payment be rendered with Bitcoin and to not answer calls from unrecognized numbers.
If residents do receive a call or voicemail directing them to make payments through either Bitcoin or gift cards, police said to hang up or do not call back the number left on voicemail.
Instead, call the company or log in to your personal accounts to verify the legitimacy of the call or voicemail.
In 2019, when the scam originated, DTE had published a warning on their website to its customers regarding the scam.
If they suspect a call to be fraudulent, DTE customers can hang up and call (800) 477-4747 to be connected to customer service to explain the incident.
In the instance a resident is not able to reach anyone at the actual company, police are asking residents call their local police department before sending any payments, and to do the same if anyone believes they have been scammed.
To report a scam, or to give police information regarding these scams, call the Farmington Hills Command Desk at (248) 871-2610.
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