May 31, 2023
ALERT: Material Shortages and Supply Chain Crisis Causing Delays
The electrical and broadband industries are facing a nationwide crisis in the... Read more
Electricity Related Scams
Electricity Related Scams
Don’t get Scammed, Take Control!
Crooks and swindlers are being very aggressive with scams designed to take advantage of customers.
If you receive a suspicious phone call claiming to be from PUD 3, don’t panic, call us we want to help. Let’s ruin a scammers day together!
Stay Vigilant Against Scammers:
- Be Pro-active! If you are behind on your bill, call us before scammers call you.
- Download the SmartHub app to check your balance and your usage anytime.
- If you receive a suspicious phone call claiming to be PUD 3, hang up and call us.
- If someone comes to your door regarding your power, call us.
- Never give bank information over the phone unless you call us.
We have multiple options for paying your bill that will reflect on your account immediately. You Do Not have to give your credit card information over the phone.
- You can call our toll-free automated system at 1-844-255-3683.
- You can visit one of our 2 Kiosk, 24/7.
- You can check your account balances and make payments with PUD 3's secure online service at my.PUD3.org.
More things to watch for:
- The caller ID may say Mason PUD 3.
- Some scammers have recorded messages that sound similar to PUD 3 messages.
- The caller may say electricity will be "cut off now" if you do not pay. They can sound very believable by quoting fictitious past due amounts and utility policies.
- The caller may ask that you wire money to a certain person or buy a prepaid credit card for payment. PUD 3 will never ask for this.
Additional resources:
- Fraud Fighters | Washington State
- The Attorney General's Office has partnered with agencies like AARP to educate consumers on how to avoid becoming a victim.
- You can also report suspicious calls or emails to the Mason County Sheriff's Office, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office or the Federal Trade Commission.
Other Electricity-Based Scams
Scammers may also use emails that look like they are coming from Mason PUD 3. Do not click on links in emails but go directly to my.pud3.org to check your account and make secure payments. If you know of another utility or electricity-based scam that's going around Mason County, let us know by emailing scam@masonpud3.org.
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Our Spanish speaking customers also seem to be targeted by a phone scam in which the caller poses to be from the "PUD" or the "Power Company". Please help to spread the word, and as always, be careful of phone scams!
(Some of our English speaking customers have also been targeted by this same scam as mentioned above- please be careful!)
ADVERTENCIA DE ESTAFAS! Por favor, comparta esta informacion!
Si usted recibe una llamada del “PUD” o el “Power Company” y usted no está esperando una llamada… PUEDE SER UNA ESTAFA!
No seleccione ninguna opción para ser transferido. Cuelgue y llame al PUD directamente al 360 426-8255.
Las siguientes situaciones son estrategias muy comunes
- El identificador de llamads puede decier PUD 3.
- Algunos estafadores usan mensajes pre-grabados similares a los mensajes de PUD 3.
- La persona llamando puede decir que la electridad será “suspendida ahora mismo” si usted no le paga. Pueden escucharse muy creíbles porque dicen reglas fictícias de nuestro departamento y dicen cantidades de dinero retrasadas que son falsas.
- La persona llamando puede pedirle que envíe dinero a una persona determinada o que usted compre una tarjeta de crédito prepagada para hacerle un pago. El PUD nunca le pedirá que haga esto.
ESTO ES MUY IMPORTANTE:
Si ha recibido una llamada sospechosa sobre su factura de electridad, cuelgue y llámenos (360-426-8255), o visite una de las oficinas del PUD 3. Usted también puede revisar su cuenta y hacer pagos con el servicio en línea seguro de PUD 3.
También puede reporter llamads sospechosas o correos electrónicos a la officina del Sheriff de Mason County, La oficina del Procurador General del Estado de Washington, o la Comisión Federal de Comercio.
Los estafadores pueden usar correos electrónicos que pueden parecerse a uno de los de PUD 3. No abra ningun enlace de estos correos electrónicos. Vaya directamente a my.PUD3.org para verificar su cuenta y hacer pagos seguros.
Si usted conoce de alguna otra estafa acerca de servicios de utilidates públicas en nuestro condado, háganoslo saber en scam@masonpud3.org
Don’t fall for the “Fat Finger” dialing scam. Sneaky scammers try to get telephone numbers that are one or two digits off from the number of a trusted business. Then, if you misdial, the person answering the phone tries to get personal information, sell you expensive services you don’t need, or try to get your credit card information by any means.
Always make sure you dial the correct number. Mason PUD 3’s main business number is 360-426-8255. Our pay-by-phone number is 1-844-255-3683.
If you think you’ve misdialed, hang up and check our website for the correct contact numbers.
Nestled within claims to “slash utility bills,” companies market basic plug in electric space heaters as a new technology with magical performance. Often it includes a coupon or a deadline by which to secure your new heater. You’ll find a lot of trademarked fancy-words in these ads, but you’ll usually be hard pressed to find vital information such as the amount of energy the equipment uses. Call the PUD 3 conservation department to discuss your options on ways to heat your home or business at (360) 426-0777, or visit our space heater webpage.
This insulation technology doesn't seem to make a great improvement over standard insulation in Mason County's climate. There are studies that show an improvement in insulative qualities in a cooling climate (year-round hot locations), when the reflective insulation is installed properly. We have seen several cases where the installers of the Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) have compressed the home's existing insulation during installation, which greatly reduces the insulating properties, resulting in a more poorly insulated home than when they started! Much of the advertised energy savings comes from the standard insulation which is installed in under-insulated homes in conjunction with the Multi-Layer Insulation product. Call the PUD 3 conservation department to discuss your options on ways to insulate your home or business at (360) 426-0777, or visit our insulation webpage.
PUD 3 does not bill residential Sch 12 or small commercial Sch 20 accounts for power factor. To see if your account is being charged a power factor penalty, take a look at your monthly utility bill. It will appear near your energy and daily system charge if applicable. This is considered a scam because these companies claim to reduce your energy bill by correcting power factor, when the reality is, PUD 3 doesn't bill these residential and small commercial customers a power factor penalty!
A location will usually have a high power factor if it uses a large amount of motors, pumps, high intensity discharge lights with a ballast, or other inductive loads. If you are a Schedule 21 or 24 customer, PUD 3 will work with you to design and install appropriately sized capacitors to correct bad power factor.
Please call PUD 3's Service Engineering department at (360) 426-0888 if you have a question regarding power factor and your account.
May 24, 2023
June 7: Planned for Customers on Fredson/Ryan Road Area
Customers in the affected area have been notified by mail. Read more