National Grid Warning New York State Customers About New Scam

If you're a National Grid customer, you could receive a call threatening to cut your power off. The utility is warning customers about a potential scam.

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The company issued a warning that it has seen an increase in the attempted scamming of business and residential customers. You may receive a call that says National Grid on your caller ID. It may look like a legit call, but it could be a potential scam.

The red flags that someone is not an actual National Grid representative are:

- Threatening you with immediate utility cut-off unless payment is made right away
- You are pressured with payment even though your account is current
- You're pressured to pay with a wire transfer, prepaid card, or fund transfer
- The person claiming to represent National Grid cannot provide you with the last five digits of your account number when you request it

National Grid reminds customers that while it does contact customers with past due balances by phone to offer payment options, it never demands direct payment through the use of a prepaid debit card and never accepts payment through these cards. National Grid also never demands payment with the threat of immediate disconnection.

Can Your Utility Company Disconnect Your Service During Extreme Heat In New York?

If you got behind on your utility bill and are in arrears, can the utility company cut off your service, even though it's extremely hot? The short answer is YES!

Photo by Delaney Van on Unsplash

According to LIHEAP Clearing House, New York State only offers protection from utility disconnection from November 1 to April 15. During the winter months, when there is a threat of hypothermia, residents are protected.

Now, with that said, there is another layer of protection, New York State,

Prohibits disconnect if household has life support system; 30 day delay for certified medical condition, certificates may be renewed for 30 days or longer if a chronic condition exists. Prohibits disconnect if customer is blind, disabled, or 62 years or older and the remaining household members are 62 years or older, 18 years or under, or blind or disabled unless the utility contacts the household 72 hours prior to termination of service for the purpose of devising a pay plan.

If you need to file a complaint against your utility provider, you can do so here.

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7 Fabulous Pools You Can Rent By The Hour In Upstate New York

Temperatures are starting to soar and it’s officially swim season in Upstate New York. Did you know you can actually rent a pool for the day to use?

There’s an app/website called Swimply that allows people with private pools to rent them out by the hour to people who want that private pool experience without having to hassle with the maintenance of pool ownership.

Here's 9 in the Central and Upstate New York region: