CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A Canton Township senior citizen, DTE, and Canton Township police are warning neighbors to stay on alert after a man posing as a DTE Energy worker showed up at her home carrying what appeared to be legitimate company identification and wearing clothing with the DTE logo.
Dorothy Carey, 71, who moved to Canton Township in November, said the encounter happened early last week while she was home watching television.
“He come up on the porch and I went outside to talk to him,” Dorothy said. “He said, ‘I’m from DTE,’ and here’s my ID.”
The man showed what appeared to be an employee badge featuring a photo and the DTE logo. Dorothy said he also wore an orange safety vest and a shirt with what looked like a DTE patch.
“It looked normal -- looked like a regular DTE logo,” she said.
The man told Dorothy that DTE had discovered residents in the area were being overcharged and said he needed to see her utility bill to verify the charges.
Dorothy went inside to look for her bill but couldn’t immediately find it. She then mentioned that her DTE charges might be bundled with her lot payment.
“He says, ‘Oh, okay then, thank you,’ and he left real fast,” she said.
At first, Dorothy said she didn’t suspect anything unusual, but later realized the whole encounter felt odd.
“Why would he ask to see the bill if they overbilled me,” she said. Dorothy also said the man told her he was going door-to-door, but said she never saw him go to any other homes.
The next morning, Dorothy contacted DTE and described the interaction. She said a representative checked the area.
“She said, ‘Ma’am, no, nobody was scheduled to be in that area at all,’” Dorothy said. “And I said, ‘Well, he looked like he was from DTE.’ And she said, ‘Oh, believe me, they are good. They are good now. They’re scammers.’”
Local 4 also contacted DTE and they confirmed “This is certainly not a DTE employee.”
The whole encounter has left Dorothy shaken.
“I was scared,” she said. “My God, I’m outside with him. My door is unlocked. He could’ve just pushed me inside.”
Dorothy described the man as tall, African-American, with short, curly hair. She said she never saw a vehicle and believed he was walking/cutting through the neighborhood.
DTE and Canton Township police said scammers impersonating utility workers are continuing to target residents across Michigan and the country, often focusing on seniors, new homeowners and people living alone.
DTE officials said customers should always ask for identification before speaking with anyone claiming to be a company employee. While scheduled work is often announced ahead of time, unscheduled visits can happen if crews are working nearby or filling gaps between projects.
The company said it is rare for employees to need access inside a home, though it can happen for indoor meter work, pipe inspections or relighting appliances.
DTE employees will never request payment at a home, ask customers to purchase prepaid debit cards, threaten immediate shutoffs, sell solar panels or request to see billing information at the door, according to the company.
Neighbors who are uncertain about a worker’s identity are encouraged to keep their doors locked and call DTE directly at 800-477-4747 to verify whether crews are in the area.
Anyone who refuses to show identification, acts aggressively or behaves suspiciously should be denied entry and reported to police.
Dorothy now hopes others will learn from her experience.
“If anybody comes to your door -- DTE, a gas company, whatever — keep them outside,” she said. “You call the place they say they’re from to make sure they got somebody at your house.”
Looking back, she said the situation is still unsettling.
“You don’t know what he’s trying to do,” Dorothy said. “He could’ve had a gun or something. I don’t know.”
Local 4 spoke further with DTE and they said it would be a violation if anyone -- even other gas companies -- were to present themselves as a DTE worker. DTE stressed that even aggressive salespeople go after seniors and lower-income residents.
“It’s a common thing and it’s happening every day,” a spokesperson said. “It’s actually the time of year, where it’s ramping up — in the summertime.”
Additional information:
- Natural gas customers in Michigan have the option to choose who supplies their natural gas through the Gas Customer Choice program.
- You can select the natural gas supplier of your choice or do nothing and continue to get your natural gas supplied by DTE under regulated rates. Regulated rates are those that the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) must review and approve on behalf of customers. The rates of alternative gas suppliers are not regulated. Unregulated rates are whatever the supplier chooses to charge, with no MPSC review or approval.
- DTE will not contact you to offer special deals on rates – like lower rates for a limited time – and we do not solicit by phone or at your door. If you receive a call or encounter a door-to-door salesperson detailing a discount, please know that this is not DTE and may be an alternative gas supplier offering an unregulated rate.
- Alternative gas suppliers sometimes offer promotional rates at the onset of your contract; but remember, promotional rates may not last for your entire contract. For instance, you may be offered free natural gas for a few weeks or months – perhaps during the summer when you may not use much natural gas anyway – and the normal, unregulated rate could start as temperatures drop and you begin using more gas.
- If you wish to use an alternative gas supplier, you should shop around just as you would for any product. Look at the MPSC’s comparison site at Michigan.gov/compareMIgas, which compares unregulated rates with DTE’s regulated rate. Call suppliers and get their prices and contract terms. Read all information provided by the supplier before you sign the contract.
- Do not give your DTE account number over the phone to an alternative gas supplier until you are sure you are signing up.
- If you use an alternative gas supplier, regularly review your bill and gas choice rate. Alternative gas supplier rates are unregulated, so they are subject to change.