Hydro One warns customers of new phone scam

TORONTO, Feb. 2, 2015 /CNW/ - Hydro One is warning residential and business customers about a telephone scam where fraudsters identify themselves as employees of Hydro One and demand an immediate credit card or other forms of payment for arrears on their account.

Hydro One never solicits credit card payments over the phone and urges customers to protect themselves if contacted, by not providing anyone with personal or account information.

Customers who are in arrears receive multiple notifications via their bill, over the phone and through the mail, well before being disconnected. Hydro One does not ask for payments by wire transfer and any customers wishing to make credit card payments are transferred to the Company's third-party processor. If customers doubt the authenticity of a call, they should hang up and call back Hydro One at 1-888-664-9376.

Hydro One urges any customers that receive one of these calls to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and your local police.

Customers with questions about their account status are advised to contact Hydro One's customer department at 1-888-664-9376. For information on Hydro One customers can pay their bills visit www.HydroOne.com.

Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes and businesses across the province of Ontario. It owns and operates Ontario's 29,000 km high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 121,000 km low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.3 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario.

SOURCE Hydro One Inc.

For further information: Hydro One Media Relations 24 hours a day at 1-877- 506-7584 (toll-free in Ontario only) or 416-345-6868. Visit our website at www.HydroOne.com