Fake Water Contamination Scam Hits SLO County

If someone knocks on your door claiming to be a San Luis Obispo water employee, think twice before letting them in. The city of SLO warned residents on Friday about a scam involving someone impersonating city staff and telling residents their water is contaminated. A similar scam was reported in Arroyo Grande earlier this month, and then in Paso Robles as well.

Recently in SLO County, there have been reports of a person impersonating an SLO city staff member. This person has been going around and telling people that their water is unsafe to drink and is contaminated. This type of scam has been reported across several cities in the county, including San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, and Nipomo. In early September, the scam began with people trying to sell water treatments. More recently, people have begun to tell people their water is contaminated to try to sell more of the treatments.  

Many of these scams involve a person trying to get into the home to conduct a fake water test. The person will then come up with fake information and an expensive solution. Instead of giving the person time to think about their decision, the scammer will attempt to sell the product then and there. The scammer will keep pressuring the person to buy at the door, and if they fail, they will attempt to keep building fear in the person. These types of scams build on public fears. This specific scam targets areas like California that face ongoing drought and water-quality concerns.

Many police districts are on this case. Police districts are sending out Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to inform people of this scam. A large number of police districts are advising residents to verify the identity of any individuals claiming to be district employees, who can be recognized by the logo on their uniforms and state-issued cars. 

There are many safety concerns for this type of scam. People can enter houses without much concern, give out their private information, and pay money for something that they don’t need. Many towns are putting out PSAs attempting to inform the people of their town about this scam. The safety precautions and warnings the county is putting out said, “Do not provide personal information such as your social security number, bank account details, or payment information to anyone who calls or visits your home claiming to be from the district without identification. Verify the person’s identity before letting them inspect your home.”

Sources: SLO Tribune, Cambria CSD