Fraudulent Activity Alert

The City of Anoka and Anoka Municipal Utility remind you to protect yourself by contacting us and local law enforcement if you suspect or experience fraudulent activity.

Tips

Anoka Municipal Utility (AMU) has formed this list of fraud prevention tips to protect customers:

  • Do not accept offers from anyone, including those claiming to be AMU employees, to pay your bill or provide any other service for a fee.
  • AMU only charges convenience fees for payments using its automated phone system, payments made through its website and payments made via phone with a representative. AMU does not charge extra fees for paying bills by mail or through customers’ online banking services.
  • AMU customers who have delinquent accounts receive multiple notifications from the company over the course of several weeks prior to service disconnection - never just a single notification the day of, or upon imminent disconnection.
  • AMU never asks or requires customers who have delinquent accounts to purchase a prepaid debit card or wire transfer to avoid service disconnection. Customers can make payments online, by phone, by automatic bank draft, by mail or in person.
  • If you or someone you know has a question about whether someone is a legitimate representative of AMU, call utility billing at 763-576-2750. Call police immediately if you believe the person is an imposter.
  • Guard against fraud - never share your personal information, including birthday, Social Security number or banking account information.

Examples of Potential Scams

Misleading Phone Calls

Some customers report receiving phone calls from individuals identifying themselves as Anoka Municipal Utility. In these cases, the caller will demand payment be made immediately by Western Union or other wire to avoid service disconnection. The caller uses high pressure tactics to make the AMU customer feel that there is not time to verify the information before service is disconnected. These calls have been mainly targeted at commercial customers, near the end of the business day. AMU sends multiple notices to customers with delinquent accounts prior to a service disconnection. 

AMU would never give a customer a single notification by phone the day of disconnection. Under normal circumstances AMU will not disconnect service on a Friday. AMU reps will never demand payment via Western Union or other wire transfer. All representatives of AMU can be reached at 763-576-2750 and will not give alternative numbers for contact.

Third-Party Payment

Anoka Municipal Utility has been made aware of another scam taking place in other areas of the country that all consumers should be aware of. Scam artists claiming to be employees are telling customers they have the ability to wipe out entire account balances - for a cash fee. Please know that no one from AMU will ever offer to pay a customer’s bill in exchange for a fee. The only fee associated with payments made to AMU is the $3.95 processing charge for phone or web payments. No fee is charged for Auto Bank Payments, mailed payments or payments in person. 

If you have a question about whether someone is a legitimate representative of AMU, contact the company directly at 763-576-2750 to verify the person’s identity. Call the police immediately if you believe the person is an imposter.