Public Safety
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Police: New Darien Resident Falls Victim to Phone Scammer Requesting a Utility Bill Payment

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A person who had recently moved into town from New York state was victimized by a phone scammer purporting to be from an electricity company, police were told. Police gave this account:

On Wednesday, June 23, the resident, who lives on Overbrook Lane, told police that a call came from someone purporting to be from ConEdison. The caller said the resident owed a balance on an electric bill for the Overbrook Lane home. The new resident was unfamiliar with the utility company providing electricity here, so when the caller said “ConEdison,” that didn’t raise suspicion. The resident sent the payment through the Zelle money-transfer app, and, soon afterward, realized ConEdison doesn’t provide electricity here.

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Fraud Committed, Twice, by Caller Claiming To Be From Fraud Protection Group

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First, the husband paid money out to a telephone caller claiming to be from a fraud protection group which “knew” the husband’s computer had been compromised, Darien police said. The man paid money to have his bank account made secure, police said. Two days later, police said, a caller played the same scam on the Darien man’s wife, who also fell for it. Payment with gift cards is a classic way scammers use to get money that’s largely untraceable. Anti-fraud authorities say you should never pay strangers this way.