Southwest Gas warns of scammers during coronavirus crisis

Southwest Gas Corp. is asking customers to watch out for scammers seeking to take advantage of people at their homes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company issued a news release warning customers of scammers “attempting to either gain access to customers’ homes or entice them to make unnecessary payments by threatening to disrupt service.”

Southwest Gas will never show up at customers’ doors or call requesting payment, the company said.

“While our technicians periodically need access to the meter on the side of your home or business for upkeep and maintenance, if someone shows up to perform services that you haven’t requested, do not let them into your home or business until you verify their identity,” according to the news release. “Please be aware of potential telephone, mail, email, door-to-door, and other scams that involve criminals posing as our representatives and demanding immediate payment or personal information.”

Southern Nevada water utilities, meanwhile, said this weekend that they’ve suspended site visits to homes and businesses amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Southern Nevada Water Authority have suspended all visits to residential and commercial sites, citing coronavirus, according to the two departments.

Southwest Gas said to verify whether a person works for the company or to check on one’s account status, call 877-860-6020. Customers also can check their account status using MyAccount at swgas.com or via the Southwest Gas mobile app. For more safety tips, visit swgas.com/en/safety.

Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.