You go online to pay your water bill. A website appears that looks legitimate, the familiar logo, a professional layout, even the company name embedded in the web address. You enter your payment information. Within hours, your bank account is wiped out. This isn’t a hypothetical scenario. It’s happening right now across the country, and the same scam is hitting customers in very different regions at the same time.
In Philadelphia, the Department of Revenue recently warned residents about a fraudulent website, myphillywaterbill.com, created to steal payment information. The fake site mimicked the name of the city’s legitimate payment platform, MyPhillyWaterBill, even though the official government website is www.phila.gov/waterbill
At the same time, utility companies in North Alabama are reporting nearly identical incidents. “A customer may go looking for an online way to pay their bill, and what the internet gives them back might not be legitimate,” said Joe Gehrdes of Huntsville Utilities. What makes this scam especially dangerous is its precision. Criminals aren’t sending out random phishing emails, they’re creating fake websites that appear in search results when customers are actively trying to pay a real bill. You’re already in “payment mode,” ready to enter sensitive financial information.
Many of these fraudulent links lead to third-party payment services that claim they will pay your utility bill for a small fee. In some cases, the bill actually does get paid. But shortly afterward, victims discover unauthorized charges or find their bank accounts completely drained. Let that sink in. You make a payment, the utility receives it, and then your account is emptied. You don’t realize you’ve been scammed until it’s too late.
How to protect yourself
- Go straight to the source. Never search for your utility’s payment portal. Type the official URL directly into your browser or use a saved bookmark. If you’re unsure, call the phone number printed on your paper bill.
- Check the URL carefully. Scam websites often use addresses that look almost correct, extra letters, different domains, or added words. If it’s not exactly right, close the page.
- Be wary of third-party payment services. If a website offers to pay your bill for a “small fee,” consider it a red flag. Your utility company doesn’t require intermediaries.
- Hang up and call back. If someone contacts you claiming to be your utility provider, hang up and call the company’s official number. Legitimate utilities will never ask for banking information over the phone.
- Report suspicious activity immediately. Anyone who believes they shared personal or financial information should report it to the FBI or the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- The convenience of online bill pay has become a powerful tool for scammers. They rely on familiarity and routine and they’re betting that what looks official will be trusted without a second thought.
