Victorville warns public about fake water quality scam

VICTORVILLE – Victorville warned the public, April 5, about a potential scam being perpetrated on residents and the broader community.

Individuals falsely claiming to be with the “City of Victorville” are requesting entry to residents’ homes with false explanations of testing water quality.

“City officials have received reports that the individuals purportedly carrying out this scam have been seen in local neighborhoods traveling on Segways. When asked for proof that they were with the City of Victorville, the scammer responded that they were working on a contract with the city,” said the news release.

City officials say this is a false claim.

They say the city does not have a contract with any outside agency to conduct water quality testing, and no outside agency has been authorized to perform work at customer homes on behalf of the Victorville Water Department.

No cold calls

According to city officials, Victorville employees do not “cold call” customers, and they don’t request access to customer homes to test water quality. Water quality testing is done at water department wells and distribution sites.

In some, very limited circumstances, the city says employees will visit customer homes only if requested by customers and scheduled in advance. An example is pre-arranged water conservation audits performed by the city’s water conservation team.

Fake water quality scam

According to the city, it’s possible the scammers are trying to sell water quality services and/or products and potentially collect individuals’ personal information.

“Community members are reminded to be diligent and to safeguard their homes and their personal information,” said the news release.

The city advises residents who believe they may be victims of this scam contact law enforcement.