Phone Scammers Now Invoking Name of City

Phone scammers are now treading on the name of the city of San Juan Capistrano in their efforts to bilk innocents out of money, city officials reported.

Recently, a water customer reported receiving a call from a supposed city employee. The caller told the customer he was late paying the water bill and asked for a credit card number to square the account, according to a city news alert.

“Please be aware that the City of San Juan Capistrano does not contact water customers via telephone for bill payments and we do not ask for credit card payments over the phone,” a city email says.

For real questions about your bill, you can contact the city’s water billing department directly at (949) 493-1515.

“City water customers should not provide any financial information by phone unless they have initiated the conversation,” advises the email.