We often get reports from our customers of being approached at their home, or by phone, by someone who gives the impression they work for Manitoba Hydro.
Smart Ideas: Frauds and scams
Keep your financial information safe. Learn how to spot potential frauds.
In most cases, this contact was not asked for and is an aggressive attempt to try to get a customer to buy services or products that they don’t need, or to send money for an unverified unpaid bill.
Scammers often target seniors living alone, but anyone can be a target. It’s important that you know when you could be misled. Protect yourself and your money. Share this information with friends and family to keep them safe too.
These scams have been reported to us by our customers:
How to spot a scam
Scammers are always finding new ways to take your money. Never share your personal information including your birthdate, social insurance number, or bank account information.
Door-to-door scam
People knock on doors and insist on checking furnaces, water heaters, and air conditioners. They may pretend to be one of our employees or they may say that their business is working with or for us.
When someone comes to your door representing Manitoba Hydro, ask for their name and to see their ID card. Our employees:
- will have an official identification card with their name and photo;
- will approach you in a professional and courteous manner;
- will not mind if you take the time to confirm their identities for your safety;
- will not pressure you to allow them into your home, even for home appliance inspections;
- will never try to sell you any product or service.
Approved contractors
KimPro Energy field staff conduct safety inspections and leak surveys of Manitoba Hydro’s natural gas system in southern Manitoba between May and October. They carry contractor photo identification. They inspect all residential and commercial natural gas lines and services, including gas meters and below-grade piping. The inspections allow us to provide safe, reliable service to our customers and meet regulatory requirements.
Manitoba Hydro Utility Services (MHUS), a subsidiary of Manitoba Hydro, provides natural gas safety inspections on meter sets and risers across the province. They carry Manitoba Hydro photo identification.
Email scam
If you get online account emails, those texts will have a “masked” account number in it that will look like: account number xxxxxxx 1234567.
Email scams involve a fake energy statement being emailed to you that shows you have an outstanding bill. These emails are not from us. Your accounts and privacy have not been compromised in any way.
- Verify the identity of the sender by clicking on the sender’s name in the email.
- Do not click on any links provided in the email. If you have a paperless-billing, online account with us, review your account by logging into your online account.
- Do not reply to the email.
- Never give any personal or payment information via email.
- If you’re unsure whether the email is real or a scam, contact us.
Phone scam
Typical scam phone calls follow a pattern:
- The call comes from a toll-free number. In some cases, they falsify Caller ID to display our number.
- The caller asks a few questions, then states that your account is in arrears and must be paid immediately. Or they may offer to sell you a device or service to save money or energy.
- You are provided with payment options that include making a payment through a local retailer (often Safeway/Sobeys), paying through a PayPal account, wiring a cash payment via Western Union, or giving a credit card number.
We do make reminder phone calls to customers who are in arrears and we may demand payment to prevent disconnection of service.
- We do not accept payments over the phone.
- We do not accept PayPal or credit card payments.
- We do not ask you to wire money.
- We do not make cold calls to sell products or services.
Text message scam
Text message scams often try to get personal banking information from our customers. Sometimes they look like an Interac e-transfer that tells you about an account refund; sometimes they threaten disconnection unless you pay right now.
These messages are not from us — they are fake. We do not request this information from our customers. Never give any personal or account information out over the phone, or by email or text.
Text messages from Manitoba Hydro
Example of a scam text message often sent to our customers.
Enlarge image: Example of a scam text message often sent to our customers.
We send text messages to customers to remind them to pay overdue bills. Those text messages will have a reference number. We will also send outage notification texts, but only if you’ve opted in to notifications using your online account.
If you get online account texts, those texts will have a “masked” account number xxxxxxx 1234567. You can manage your notification settings — including what notifications you receive from Manitoba Hydro on what platforms — in your online account.
If you receive a text claiming to be from Manitoba Hydro and you’re unsure, contact us by phone — 1-888-624-9376 — or on social media. We’re @manitobahydro on Facebook, X and Instagram.