Crossed Wires: Utility Scams Target Consumers
The Perfect Scam
AARP
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 15 May 2026
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Fed up with the rising cost of electricity, Steve shops around and switches to a new provider in his Boston neighborhood. The process is simple, and Steve thinks the matter is settled until a week later, when he receives a call from his previous provider claiming he is in danger of having his electricity cut off. Steve initially dismisses it as a scam, but the caller seems to know all about his recent switch. What follows is an hours-long back-and-forth, with Steve passed between agents posing as representatives from two power companies. Frustrated and angry, Steve ultimately buys $900 worth of gift cards in the hope of keeping his electricity flowing. This sophisticated scam is one of a number of scams involving utility companies threatening to cut off basic services. Monica Martinez, the executive director for Utilities United Against Scams, shares tips on how to spot utilities-related scams.
To learn more about utility scams, visit: aarp.org/utilityscams
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This week on the perfect scam. |
| 0:04.0 | I've learned to ignore most of these calls and I thought this was a scam. |
| 0:09.0 | So I started to hang up on the guy, but then he said, |
| 0:13.0 | I know you've transferred your electricity to direct energy, |
| 0:17.0 | but you also have transferred the plumbing. So I thought to myself, wait a minute, this guy knows that a week ago I transferred to direct energy. |
| 0:27.6 | There's no way he would know that unless what he says is true that he really is from ever source. |
| 0:32.6 | Welcome back to the perfect scam. I'm your host, Bob Sullivan. |
| 0:42.8 | When you plug in your TV or turn on your stove, you just expect these things to work. |
| 0:49.2 | And you probably don't think a lot about how electricity or gas gets to your home until the bill comes. |
| 0:57.2 | Then you might think about shopping around for a cheaper alternative, |
| 1:01.1 | an option that's available to about two-thirds of the U.S. market, |
| 1:04.3 | according to the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. |
| 1:07.7 | Local competition was introduced into the modern energy marketplace during the 1990s, |
| 1:12.6 | opening the door for consumers to switch energy providers. That's good, but it can also be confusing, |
| 1:19.6 | and as always, criminals have rushed in to take advantage of any confusion. According to utilities now, |
| 1:26.6 | one in five U.S. consumers has been the target of a utility scam. |
| 1:30.3 | In the end, a threat to have your electricity turned off can be really, really scary. |
| 1:36.3 | So that's why we're bringing you today's story. You've got to hear how remarkably elaborate it is. |
| 1:43.3 | My name is Steve Crosby, and I live in got to hear how remarkably elaborate it is. |
| 1:45.0 | My name is Steve Crosby and I live in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, which is a neighborhood in Boston. |
| 1:54.0 | Steve has a long and distinguished career both in public service and in the private sector. |
| 2:02.7 | Give me just a few highlights, if you would. |
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