DTE Energy shares the red flags of scammers to keep you safe
Scammers constantly change the ways they impersonate companies like DTE and try to trick you, often by threatening to cut off your service within hours or even minutes. This can scare many people into giving large sums of money or sharing sensitive personal information. Unfortunately, scam attempts seem to increase around the holiday season.
Trust your gut – if you are unsure of a potential DTE representative at your door or over the phone, call DTE at 800-477-4747. If payment is required on your account or work is needed at your home, DTE’s customer service team will be able to confirm and put you at ease.
At Your Door
- Before routine visits to your home, DTE will try to contact you in advance through mail, door hangers, phone calls, texts or emails. Sometimes crews may show up before DTE has had a chance to notify you ahead of time.
- DTE wants you to feel safe when a representative or any utility worker visits your home. Prior to allowing a person claiming to work for DTE in your home or on your property, keep the following things in mind:
- Know your electric and natural gas provider. Just because DTE supplies your electricity, it does not mean they supply your gas, and vice versa. (In the city of Detroit, DTE does provide both electricity and natural gas.)
- All DTE Electric and Gas employees, and most of their contractors, carry identification badges and are required to show their badges when asked.
- If an employee or contractor won’t present their badge or doesn’t have one, you should deny entry into your home and call 800-477-4747 to verify whether DTE is scheduled to be there. Keep your door locked while you make the call, and speak through the locked door if you need to talk to the person.
- If the person becomes agitated or acts strangely, call 911.
- DTE will never collect payment at your home.
Online
- Scammers use email, text messages and social media sites, such as Facebook and X, to contact you. Some scammers are even placing sponsored ads in search engine listings when customers are searching for DTE’s website or looking to start service or pay their bill.
- Never give out account information, personal information, bank accounts or credit card numbers online or to someone you do not know.
- Never click on a link or scan a barcode or QR code from a contact or website you are unsure of.
Phone Calls
- Scammers often use caller ID spoofing to make a call appear to originate from DTE. They’ll also impose unrealistic deadlines for payment or threaten to disconnect power within a period of hours to scare customers.
- Scammers will often request unusual payment methods, such as money-transferring apps, prepaid debit or gift cards, Bitcoin, or Western Union wire transfers.
- Confirm you’re speaking with DTE by asking the person to provide your account number or amount of your latest bill.
Scan our QR code below to learn more about the red flags of DTE impersonators.
If your property has an indoor natural gas meter, the state requires a safety inspection every three years. DTE will contact you to schedule this appointment. A technician from DTE or approved vendor, RECONN, needs access indoors for 15 minutes to conduct the safety inspection. Learn more at dteenergy.com/gassafety