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No known victims in latest hydro scam – Winnipeg Free Press

Over the weekend, hundreds of Manitobans encountered text messages from Manitoba Hydro impersonators.

The scam text, which does not have a capital “H” at Manitoba Hydro and directs potential victims to a website unrelated to the Crown corporation, said the recipient had not paid their last bill in full and owed $9.56. The message threatened to cut off the recipient's electricity if the money was not paid by Sunday. The message contains a link to a website where the reader receives payment information.

As of Monday morning, the website is no longer active.

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Manitoba Hydro took to social media on Saturday to warn people about an operation trying to get payment information from anyone who clicks on a link, spokesman Bruce Owen said.

“We started getting calls on Saturday morning,” he said on Monday. “These texts come in waves. So people of all ages in Manitoba, even those without Manitoba Hydro accounts — anyone with a cell phone — have been bombarded.”

Manitoba Hydro's name and logo have long been used as front lines for scammers, with its website featuring videos and step-by-step processes on how to respond to scams by text, phone, email or at your door.

The Winnipeg Police Service's Financial Crimes Unit said it has not received any reports of people being scammed and is not currently investigating.