An Oak Bay resident told police he paid $8,000 after receiving a phone call from a supposed B.C. Hydro employee claiming power to his business was about to be shut off.
The caller, who said his name was John, warned that the power would be cut within an hour because of overdue payments, Oak Bay police said.
After sending four e-transfers worth a total of $8,000, the resident told police he realized he had forgotten his B.C. Hydro bills had been prepaid.
He received the call about 5:15 p.m. on June 12, four days before he needed to be out of the building following the sale of his business.
The investigation is continuing.
B.C. Hydro spokesperson Ted Olynyk said it’s upsetting to hear about such cases.
“That stuff makes me sick, when you hear about people scamming people like that,” he said.
Olynyk said disconnection is a last resort for B.C. Hydro, and any customer that faces disconnection would receive plenty of notification from B.C. Hydro.
“If anyone gets a call from someone claiming to be a B.C. Hydro representative regarding their bill, just hang up and call B.C. Hydro.”
