The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority is warning customers of a scam involving calls claiming to be from the “city of Wilmington water department.”
No such department exists, as Wilmington and New Hanover County merged their utility departments to form the CFPUA in 2008.
Spokesman Mike McGill said an elderly customer told him he was contacted last week by someone who said he represented the city of Wilmington water department and asked for help in completing a survey that requested the customer’s personal information.
The customer participated, McGill said, and was informed yesterday he had been selected to receive a $1,000 prize based on his participation in the survey. The man was also told the prize would be personally delivered to his home this evening.
“Needless to say, this is a scam,” McGill said. “There is no ‘City of Wilmington Water Department,’ CFPUA is not conducting a customer survey at this time, and we never offer a cash prize at any time. The home visit part is particularly disturbing.”
McGill said the customer was advised to work with local law enforcement and has reported the matter to the attorney general’s office.
