MILWAUKEE, WI – Telephone scammers are reportedly taking advantage of Wisconsin’s most-recent cold snap

We Energies is reporting that there have been more than 50 scam attempts reported on Monday alone.

According to We Energies, scammers are taking advantage of people by saying that their power will be disconnected without immediate payment. A spokesperson for We Energies said that people will not be disconnected from June 1 until August 15.

“Scammers are sophisticated. Using online databases, they know your name and address, and claim to have additional information about your account. Don’t be fooled. Call us anytime at 800-242-9137,” officials said.

Here’s the notice that WE Energies posted about how to spot a scammer:

“Using a service disconnection threat, scammers try to convince you to purchase prepaid debit cards and provide the card information to them. How it works:

  • Caller claims to be from We Energies. Some scammers provide a fake ID number and may use software to display our company name on your phone. Sometimes they use a recording of our greeting to sound legitimate.
  • Caller claims you are behind on bill payment or have a malfunctioning meter that you must replace, adding that the cost is rebated after installation.
  • Caller tells you to go to a nearby store — often Walmart, Walgreens or CVS — to buy a pre-paid Visa debit card, sometimes referred to as a Green Dot card or MoneyPak card.
  • Caller tells you an exact amount for the card, makes the request urgent and threatens disconnection.
  • Caller provides a phone number to call to provide the card’s numbers. Your money goes to the scammer, and we do not reimburse for such losses.

The scammers also are intimidating. If you do not cooperate, they apply more pressure by implying that if you do not act quickly, your power may be off for days. They will say anything to frighten you.”