This report, based on a survey of 1,009 Americans, examines the alarming prevalence of utility scams across different demographics, the most common tactics used by scammers, and the financial and emotional toll on victims. By understanding who’s most vulnerable, when these scams typically occur, and how fraudsters operate, you can learn important information about protecting yourself from this growing threat.
Key Takeaways
- Nearly 1 in 5 Americans (18%) have been targeted by a utility scam in the last year.
- 1 in 3 Americans (33%) targeted by a utility scam in the past year ended up losing money.
- Phishing is utility scammers’ most common tactic (44%).
- 58% of Americans have felt pressured to act immediately during a scam attempt. Millennials were the most likely to feel this way (65%).
The Rising Tide of Utility Scams
- 1 in 3 Americans (33%) feel anxious or fearful about being targeted by utility scams.
- Gen Z is the most likely to feel this way (40%).
- Nearly 1 in 5 Americans (18%) have been targeted by a utility scam in the last year.
- Gen Z is the most likely to report this (24%).
- Men (22%) are more likely to report this than women (14%).
- By city:
- Austin: 18%
- Houston: 14%
- San Antonio: 9%
- Dallas: 8%
- According to Americans targeted by a utility scam in the last year:
- Phone calls are the most common way utility scammers have contacted them (52%).
- Phishing is the most common tactic utility scammers use (44%).
- Electricity is the most common utility scammers have targeted (62%).
- Over 1 in 4 Americans (26%) say phishing is the most believable utility scam tactic.
- 58% of Americans have felt pressured to act immediately during a scam attempt.
- Millennials were the most likely to feel this way (65%).
- 43% of Americans targeted by a utility scam in the last year lost trust in their utility providers as a result.
- 1 in 3 Americans (33%) targeted by a utility scam in the last year ended up losing money.
- By generation:
- Gen Z: 48%
- Millennials: 34%
- Gen X: 8%
- By city:
- Houston: 43%
- Dallas: 25%
- San Antonio: 0%
- Austin: 0%
- By generation:
- Men (38%) were more likely to have experienced a utility scam than women (24%).
- On average, Americans who fell for a utility scam lost $217.
- 14% of Americans targeted by a utility scam took three or more hours to realize it.
Avoiding Utility Scams
- Nearly 2 in 5 Americans (39%) feel more vulnerable to utility scams during certain times of the year (e.g., extreme weather seasons).
- By generation:
- Gen Z: 46%
- Millennials: 41%
- Gen X: 31%
- By city:
- Houston: 51%
- Austin: 50%
- Dallas: 46%
- San Antonio: 36%
- Women: 42%
- Men: 36%
- By generation:
- Nearly 1 in 3 Americans (32%) have noticed more utility scam attempts during major natural disasters or extreme weather events.
- By city:
- Houston: 45%
- Dallas: 44%
- San Antonio: 32%
- Austin: 29%
- By city:
- Still, 14% of Americans don’t feel confident in their ability to identify and avoid future utility scams.
- By generation:
- Gen Z: 14%
- Millennials: 16%
- Gen X: 11%
- By generation:
Methodology
For this study, we surveyed 1,009 Americans about their experiences with utility scams and their approach to deal with them in the future — 50% of respondents identified as male, 48% identified as female, and 2% identified as non-binary; 53% of respondents identified as millennials, 22% identified as Gen X, 19% identified as Gen Z, and 7% identified as baby boomers (percentages don’t total 100 due to rounding). Overall, 17% were Texas residents.
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