City of Niles warns residents about phone call scam involving utilities department

NILES, Mich. (WNDU) - The City of Niles Utilities Department has been made aware of phone calls telling residents to send hundreds of dollars by way of a barcode or payment — or else their utilities will shut off.

If you receive a call like this and you think it could be a scam, contact the city’s utility department at 269-683-4700 to verify the validity of the previous phone call.

The city wants to remind you that any utility employee that is scheduled to perform maintenance work will possess an I.D. badge to verify their name and title. The city’s logo will also be present on this badge.

Meanwhile, when making utility payments, you should use the verified link on the city’s website. This will ensure that your payment is received in a timely manner and will help avoid third party penalties. Any caller who urges you to send a payment via barcode, PayPal, Venmo, or other online payment center is NOT a city utility employee.

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