New Phone Scam Emerging in Colorado as Temperatures Drop

Although it's not Cybersecurity Awareness Month anymore, it's important to stay vigilant; unfortunately, scammers don't care what time of the year it is.

On the off chance that you needed another reason to ignore calls, there is a new phone scam going around Colorado — and it's only going to get worse in the winter.

According to Denver7, scammers are calling Coloradans and pretending to be from Xcel Energy in the hopes that cold weather concerns will cause residents to fork over some extra cash.

In fact, one scammer recently tried to dupe a resident into giving up $600.

"He said he was calling to let me know that my account was past due and that I would need to make a payment within the hour or my service would be cut off," the resident said to the station. "He was forceful in that this needed to be taken care of now, through him. When I answered the call, it sounded very official."

READ: Cyber Scams Cost Coloradans Over $100 Million During the Pandemic

Representatives from Xcel told Denver7 that the company would never disconnect a customer's service after sending only one notification, much less immediately after contacting them.

If you receive a phone call like the one above, hang up and reach out to the real Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999.

Phone scams aren't the only schemes happening in Colorado right now. Fort Collins Police Services (FCPS) recently sent out a warning about an elderly woman who fell victim to an online romance scam.