Thursday, November 19, 2020

BPUB ON SCAMS: "WE DARE YOU TO STOP OUR SCAMS..."

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

The Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB), in collaboration with Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) will recognize the fifth annual Utility Scam Awareness Day today.

PUB warns that if public utility managers approached you in 2013 with a proposal to spend $550 million to construct a gas-powered, 800 MWs electric plant and want you to hike the rates by 35 percent, alarms should go off, they say. Then, if three years after (November 2016) they have stopped the project and the rates remain high and they give themselves $100,000 raises, and tell nobody, that should be a sure sign that you have been the victim of a scam. 

Utility Scam Awareness Day is part of the week-long National Scam Awareness Week (Nov.16-Nov.20), a campaign focused on educating customers and exposing tactics used by scammers. This year’s theme is “Together, We Dare You To Stop Our Scams.”

“Even through these tough times, our customers continue receiving calls from scammers,” said BPUB General Manager & CEO John S. Bruciak. “It’s unfortunate, but our employees are committed to continue educating the community on scam prevention so that they don’t fall prey to these types of schemes in the future.”

Bruciak should know. After all, it was his utility (PUB) that sent a $1.3 million check to the wrong vendor after a scammer convinced them that they represented a legitimate vendor. It wasn't until the real vendor complained that he hadn't received his payments that the PUB staff caught on to the scam. It could happen to anyone, a sympathetic Bruciak said.  

According to Utilities United Against Scams, the most common scams occur by phone, in person, by email, threats to disconnect service immediately, a request for immediate payment and a request to purchase prepaid debit card. In the case of PUB ratepayers, it comes in the form of a monthly utility bill with unconscionable fuel surcharges on top of the artificially-high rates.

If PUB administrators try to explain that it was the best thing to happen to ratepayers, customers are encouraged to hang up the phone and call BPUB to verify their account.

 For more information and tips on how customers can protect themselves from impostor utility scams, visit www.brownsville-pub.com, and follow BPUB on Twitter and Facebook. 

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't take your concerns to the Brownsville Police Department they don't care. Had an incident in regards to fraud and I was told to contact the Detectives Supervisor Sergeant Ordaz; which I did only to walk away shaking my head in disbelief on the incompetence of the Brownsville Police Department. What kind of service is this Department providing to the citizens of Brownsville. I give this Department an F-...

Anonymous said...

This man is just pitiful. Who in the hell does Donald Trump think he is? It’s over, you won’t be president anymore. Just face reality. This man is so stupid and ridiculous, he’s taking it to the extreme.

- Teetow Mata

Anonymous said...

Folks the danger has past, no need to fire anyone at BPUB especially the big 3 dogs, Bruciak, Saenz and the other dude. No Probably NOT, because if they do then BPUB will indeed go broke without these 3 top dogs, anyway its business as usual at BPUB. Even if we complaint NO ONE WILL LISTEN OR DO ANYTHING TO CORRECT HIS, especially the Brownsville Mayor and City Commission.

Anonymous said...

You're impotent, Monotoya. PUB has you by the balls, too, guey.

Anonymous said...

PUB oh! becareful out thier trying to scam gtfoh! You guys are the one's who scammed the citizens of Brownsville.PUB board and the city commission and ex mayor Martinez and Gowen should be ashamed of YOURSELVES.I see a huge lawsuit coming if you all don't make amends to this SCAM!! Now Cowen is saying PUB only collected 60 million on rate increases BULL CHIT!!! It was reported 2yrs ago it had amassed more than $100 million dont bullchit us ANYMORE!!

Anonymous said...

Years and years of crowing about this has gotten you what, Montoya? Jackshit!

Anonymous said...

SELL PUB GET RID OF ALL THE CORRUPTION DO IT NOW!

IF NOT PUT IT PUB UNDER THE STATE SUPERVISION

Anonymous said...

According to Mayor Trey Mendez this week was to report Scams. This story to report BPUB scam in available next week, thus missing the date line to report this scam. In other words this scam was created to late or to soon to report to Mayor Trey Mendez. Due to the holiday and the Pandemic all scam reports will be reviewed by Commissioner Jessict Tetreu Kalifa and her pet dogs.

Anonymous said...

Someone is pushing to sell PUB? dont fall for this Citizens of Brownsville, that's what they want so that tens of millions of dlrs does goes straight to the city coffers so city commissioners can spend it for thier bullchit projects and pay thier buddies with construction contracts.We dont want it sold STUPID! we want accountability and if laws were broken some Prosecutions. We know what your trying to do cut your shit out bastards.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Tetreu can review it with her buddy Dr. Eder. They can bill the city for the review. No bids of course.

Anonymous said...

DISSOLVE THE PUB! THE CITY CAN DO IT WITH A SIMPLE MOTION TO DISSOLVE IT. DO IT BEN!!!

Former RGV LEO said...

Scam at PUB, naw! Who will do anything about it? You can't count on the Feds! You can't count on Luis Saenz or his office!
To the citizens of Brownsville consisting of mainly democRATS! You need to wake up and do something about the corruption at PUB, BISD and City of Brownsville, period!
But then again, you democRATS love scamming and corruption because only certain pockets get filled with your hard earned!

Anonymous said...

What about reporting the voting scams! All you idiotas that voted for a cheater that uses dead voters are pathetic retards! Hahahaha! Pendejo Viejito pretending to be president with fake title! Hahahaha!

Anonymous said...

Heard on the street and happened to a buddy of mine..... BPUB going back 20 years but they will only really charge you 4 years worth of where according to BPUB Customer Service, they made a mistake on the fees and taxes charged and now they want that money....that they screwed up on.....any they want it NOW....or will charge penalties and interest.....they must be desperate and need to build up the reserves before the 3 amigos gave themselves a raise and went on a spending spree with the building under construction on Kings Highway and the service warehouse on FM511....

Anonymous said...

How many times have you heard about the abused wife syndrome, her husband beats her weekly but she will not leave him. You people have the screw me syndrome, take my money and do nothing for me.

Anonymous said...

This scam would not happen in a normal city. Only happens where the people are to stupid to figure out they are being robbed. A lot of the city leaders must be getting kick backs. The simple solution would be to end the monopoly of PUB and give the citizens a choice in what electric providers they want to buy from. Nobody would choose PUB and the kickbacks would come to an end.

Anonymous said...

Folks i hope you all are not really relying on DA Luis Saenz to do something about this BPUB SCAM, and then publish its Utility scam Week message, cuz he wont dont do a thing or dont even has the balls to do something about it, pathetic. But at the end of the day, no one will dare challenge him a la J Edgar Hoover/ FBI Director for decades style. Oh well guess the voters are ok with that. adios

Anonymous said...

@4:18 Hey retard! It's not over till the fat lady sings! It's so pathetic how Biden is trying so hard to act like he's president material! Pendejo Viejito wears adult pampers and is a f#&king old senile fart! In the end, Trump will be president and you can take that to the bank!

Anonymous said...

November 22, 2020 at 2:19 AM

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

WHAT BANK????

Anonymous said...

Will the mayor and City commission of Brownsville just sit on their jackasses and not do a thing either just like DA Luis Saenz? If they dont then they dont deserve to be an elected office holder and neither does el cool arrow del el DA Luis Saenz. Fuera, time to put out the trash.

Anonymous said...

Its the hillbilly coco wanna be white fault.

Anonymous said...

November 26, 2020 at 10:03 AM

Learn to write when you post here el idiota hillbilly will not be able to understand your pocho writings.

rita