(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Scammers posing as Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) workers have been more active lately, warned CSU on Friday, March 29. The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has received reports that these scammers have cheated people out of an estimated $20,000 so far.

Here’s how the scam operates: an imposter will call a CSU customer and tell them that service will be disconnected if they don’t pay immediately. They ask for payment to be made with a prepaid card, a MoneyGram, or cryptocurrency.

CSU wants customers to know that they never demand payment over the phone, they will never threaten to disconnect services immediately, and they do not ask for unconventional payment methods. If someone claiming to be a CSU representative says any of these things, it’s a red flag.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a scammer, please call CSPD at (719) 444-7000 to file a police report. Once the call is recorded, someone from CSPD will call back to take the report.