Mid Michigan Police Issue Warning Over DTE Telephone Scam

Scammers are calling Mid-Michigan businesses and residents posing as DTE representatives trying to collect on a late bill.

The latest round of incidents happened in Marlette where police say that the scammers have called multiple people.

The scam is fairly simple to avoid if you pay attention to what the caller actually wants.  They usually call posing as a DTE rep, saying that you have a late bill, and it needs to be paid immediately.  The scammer asks for payment to be Western Union, or some sort of gift card, which an actual DTE rep would never do.

DTE has issued the following tips to help if you find yourself in a similar situation.

• Ask the caller to give you your account number on your bill, along with the exact amount owed.
• Even though your called ID may show that the call is coming from DTE, it may be false.  If you have any questions about the call, hang up and call DTE back at 800-477-4747.

If you think that you may have fallen victim to this scam, you should call your local police department right away.