Toronto Hydro Small Enterprise Prospects Focused by Scammers in 2022

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 defend 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 12 months, the entire quantity paid to scammers elevated. Scammers principally focused small companies within the restaurant and grocery business by threatening speedy disconnection. This made up 60 per cent of the entire funds to scammers final 12 months.

Scammers are recognized to impersonate native utilities by sending threatening cellphone calls, texts and emails, or exhibiting up in-person at a buyer’s residence or enterprise to request private data. These requests might embrace strain for speedy 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, resembling bitcoin.

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

• 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 offered to you — as an alternative, name your utility on to examine the standing of your account

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

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

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

For enterprise clients particularly, Toronto Hydro is reminding homeowners to be cautious of unsolicited calls and to not present or affirm any data from calls they didn’t provoke — together with tackle, 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 legit.

For extra details about defending your self from scams and fraud, please go to www.torontohydro.com/fraud. Should you consider chances are 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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QUOTES

“Toronto Hydro continues to take steps to teach clients on the best 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 defend 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 Power Companies Inc. – supplies streetlighting and expressway lighting companies 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 situated 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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