LEONARD, Mich. – Selling pizza, burgers and ribs pays the bills for Ralph Dallo, who owns Leonard's Pizza on Rochester Road. He's been in business for awhile and considers himself a pretty savvy businessman.
"I've never been fooled in my entire life," Dallo said.
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Sadly, that changed on a Friday afternoon in June when Dallo received a call about an allegedly unpaid power bill.
Dallo described what the caller said, "He says this is DTE. You owe two months bill. We gotta shut you off in 50 minutes."
At first, Dallo thought the call might be a joke, but there were two reasons he feared the threat could be real.
"The caller ID did say DTE Energy. And when I called the 800 number it says DTE Energy," Dallo said.
Also, he said the caller knew the dollar amounts of his last two payments, which the caller claimed had not cleared.
"He goes, 'Sir, no. They've been on hold. They've not been cashed. You need to pay it and pay it immediately,'" Dallo said.
The pizza place does a lot of business on the weekend, so Dallo felt he had to act quickly.
"Cause I know if I get shut off, that means I'm out of business Friday, Saturday, Sunday," he said.
Making the 'payment'
Dallo was instructed to make a wireless payment to a Green Dot card. He wired more than $1,700. Days later, he followed up with DTE and learned it was all a scam. After this brush with a scammer, Dallo said he learned key lessons he hope will help other people.
"Don't pay anybody by cash," he said.
He now knows no reputable company will call demanding instant cash payment. Also, never call the number on caller ID because they can be faked, or spoofed. Instead, look for a legitimate number on your bill. Finally, do not panic. Take time to research the claim before giving anyone money or personal information.
"I did make a mistake. Apparently shame on them, but the second time will be shame on me and that's never going to happen," Dallo said.
DTE payment is just one of many scams
Be aware the "DTE payment" story is just one story scammers will tell to steal your money. They could claim to be with another utility, your bank, or your credit card. You may also notice emails allegedly from companies like FedEx or UPS claiming that you need to pay for a delivery.
Scammers often use the names of legitimate business and concoct some scenario where you need to offer payment or personal information in a hurry.
The same lessons that Dallo learned after this DTE scam apply to all those other schemes. Don't panic, don't give cash or information, and find a legitimate
number to verify this story.
Ruth to the Rescue Scam Alert Week
This week (July 21st - July 24th) on Local 4, Ruth to the Rescue will do a new Scam Alert every day, starting at 5 p.m. We hope you will watch and tell your friends and family (especially seniors) to tune in.
Local 4 Consumer Expert Ruth Spencer will highlight some of the most common scams, as well as a newer one making the rounds. On Thursday, July 23rd,we will have a live phone bank of experts from the Better Business Bureau to answer questions about scams: How to spot them? How to handle those calls?How to verify any claims that might disturb you?
Join us in the fight against scam artists who are trying to steal your money.