Scammers use fake DTE ads online to steal personal information

FOX 2 (WJBK) - It’s the first of the month - time to pay your bills and you Google "Pay DTE" and might see some ads pop up.

They'll say "Energy billing services" or "Energy Billing Depart." They promise to be a quick call, hassel free and it even says, DTE Energy.

But trust us, this is not DTE.

"Folks are clicking on it, and unknowingly they’re calling scammers and providing them with all kinds of information," said Angie Pizzuti.

Pizzuti is the senior vp of customer service at DTE. She says scammers are taking out search engine ads — pretending to be DTE — and trying to steal your personal info and money.

"We have had some customers have fallen prey to this," she said. "Luckily if they’ve given payment information using a debit or credit card, they’ve been successful in getting that reversed with their financial institution."

Pizutti says — this is a new twist on an old scam — the new tactic of buying targeted ad space to trick customers is alarming.

"It is something we’ve just seen popping up over the past 4-6 weeks and it’s popping all over the country," she said. "We’re working with other utilities and aggressively trying to flag these ads and get them removed."

That removal — appears to be working.

FOX 2 tried calling one of the numbers listed and got this message: "The number you have dialed is not in service, goodbye."

But that doesn't mean, you wont run into a similar ad with a different number - one that might work.

Pizutti says — play it safe.

"I would caution folks to pay attention to anything they’re clicking on," she said. "If they’re uncertain, call DTE at 1-800-477-4747."

Or reach them at Dteenergy.com