If someone comes knocking on your door and claims to be with BC Hydro, don't be so quick to believe they're an actual employee.
Prince George resident Douglas Kean tells PrinceGeorgeMatters a young woman asking to see the efficiency rating of his furnace showed up at his door this morning (Nov. 30).
"She said the provincial government changes their efficiency regulations every few years and her company is checking furnace efficiencies so that my 'taxes' could be lowered if my furnace has a higher efficiency than was on their records."
When contacted by PrinceGeorgeMatters, BC Hydro spokesperson Tanya Fish says the company is aware of scammers who are claiming to work for BC Hydro and are trying to gain access to a person's home to inspect their furnace or hot water heater.
"We want to remind customers that we will not try and gain access to their home without their prior knowledge and if someone does come to their home claiming to be from BC Hydro, please request to see their BC Hydro ID," she says in an email.
She adds 32 similar scams have been reported across the province since January 2018.
Kean says he became suspicious of the interaction once the woman started talking about a certain gas.
"I was a little suspicious once she started talking about natural gas, ever since contractors started showing up back in the day trying to sell natural gas contracts using dishonest practices," he says. "Once she started talking about wanting to see efficiency labels on my furnace and started to talk about tax rates based on efficiency, my senses went up and I asked her to leave."
If you believe you have been a victim to this scam, Fish encourages you to report it to BC Hydro, local police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Association.
