The City of Bartow will never contact you by telephone or email and demand immediate payment of utility bills. If the caller asks for payment by pre-paid card or a wire transfer, this is a red flag! These payments cannot be reversed, and Bartow does not ask for payment in this manner. If you are contacted by an individual requesting that you pay your utility bill immediately, or they ask for personal information to avoid cutoff, hang up immediately and call us at (863)534-0188 with any billing questions you may have.
People lose a lot of money to phone scams — sometimes their life savings. Scammers have figured out countless ways to cheat you out of your money over the phone. In some scams, they act friendly and helpful. In others, they threaten or try to scare you. They’ll do what it takes to get your money.
Scammers will often ask you to pay in a way that makes it hard for you to get your money back. The City of Bartow will never ask you to pay with a gift card, cryptocurrency, a payment app, or a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram.