Winter is upon us and with temperatures plummeting in many areas, keeping the heat on is critical — a fact that scammers try to take advantage of. Each winter, utility scams spike as con artists claiming to be from the utility company threaten to cut off service if an immediate payment isn’t made. The goal of these crooks is to create a sense of panic in their targets to act hastily and hand over payment information or even buy gift cards to pay the supposed debt. If you get a surprise visit or call from the “utility company” this winter, ask questions like what your bill history is or what the individual’s employee ID number is, and then follow up to confirm before taking any action.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork