The most common water quality scams and how you can dodge the fraudsters: Internet Scambusters #1,117
Good water quality in your home is crucial to your health but while most of us may be comfortable with the H2O we consume, there are all sorts of reasons why you might want to test it.
And even if you don’t, scammers will say you do and offer all manner of costly and potentially dangerous solutions.
In this week’s issue, we’ll outline the most common water quality scams and the 10 steps you can take to safeguard yourself from fraudsters.
Let's get started…
10 Steps To Avoid Water Quality Scammers
We drink it, we wash in it, and 60% of our bodies are made of it – so, it’s only natural that water quality is a major concern for most of us, especially what comes out of the faucets in our homes.
Scammers have been cashing in on this by making false claims, adding potentially dangerous chemicals, selling useless testing kits, and installing expensive and unnecessary equipment. They’re not only ripping us off, but they could also be putting your health at risk.
The Most Common Water Quality Scams
By far the biggest and most widespread scam starts with door-to-door high-pressure salespeople offering free water tests, but crooks have also been known to sell chemicals they falsely claim will improve water quality when they may, in fact, cause harm.
Let’s take a closer look at the most common scams:
Free water quality testing: This is a well-known foot-in-the-door tactic used by scammers. It’s happening across the US right now. The result is usually the bad news that you’ll need to install specialist equipment.
In a case reported by news site NorthJersey.com, police who were posing as homeowners were told they had to install filters on every faucet in their home at a cost of $12,000! Crooks may also say they’re following up on research showing your home is in some sort of water quality danger zone.
Fake claims: Scammers make all sorts of outrageous claims about the effectiveness of their testing processes and kits. For example, they use fake certifications and endorsements, manipulate the results of tests, and fail to explain the limitations of their kits. They may also use ineffective, dangerous, or old testing chemicals and often charge a small fortune for both their supposed testing and the equipment they pressure you to buy.
Another claim is that an installed filtration unit is “maintenance free” – that’s just not true. Yet another tactic is to use genuine alerts of water quality issues elsewhere and claim it applies to your area.
Fake color tests: Scammers claim if the water they’re testing changes color, it’s unsafe. Then they drop in an innocent looking tablet that – guess what – changes the color of the water.
Old kits: The chemicals used in testing kits have a limited shelf life, after which they start to degrade and may produce false results. These old kits are likely to be sold at huge knock-down prices – a surefire red flag.
Remote testing: Scammers send out bottles for you to fill with home water and send it off to them for testing in their supposedly super hi-tech lab. Unless you’ve established this is a reputable company (see below for link), you have no idea whether the “result” they send back is genuine.
Fake endorsement or certification: Scammers may pretend to be working for a government agency like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), your local water utility, or the Water Quality Association. They may even show you forged business cards, permits, or badges.
How to Protect Yourself From Water Quality Scams
It’s important to be concerned about the quality of your home water – and by “quality,” we don’t necessarily mean “taste” – because many water authorities add chemicals believed to be safe (in appropriate amounts), like chlorine, to reduce or eliminate contaminants.
In that case, it’s down to you to decide if you want to install a genuine filtration system or buy purified water from legitimate sellers. Millions of us do – though the resulting plastic bottle waste is another issue.
But here are 10 things you can do to avoid being tricked by scammers.
- First, check the testing and analysis findings of your local water utility. These are usually called Consumer Confidence Reports and are generally published annually and freely available online.
- Don’t get involved with door-to-door solicitors. Politely shut the door on them. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns against it and the Water Quality Association, for example, says it never operates this way.
- Say “no” to any unsolicited free testing offer, however you receive it. Why would anyone do that for free unless they want to sell you something?
- Fully research tested, reputable products. Check for proof of independent testing and certification. Compare pricing with other similar products to any you’re considering; crooks tend to heavily overcharge.
- Scrutinize online reviews from other consumers, reading the negatives as well as the positives.
- Beware of dramatic and exaggerated claims about what kits or installed equipment can actually do.
- Don’t buy from unknown sellers. They may not even be licensed.
- Check the expiry date on any testing kits you’re thinking of buying.
- Check and verify the identification and permit or license of a supposed tester or equipment supplier, especially if they claim to be from official organizations. Note that having an EPA registration number doesn’t mean that a kit has been endorsed by the agency.
- Get professional advice from your water utility or established, reputable testing companies. Check for certified testing labs and for products certified by the Water Quality Association.
Yes, good water quality is essential to a healthy life. So, it’s important to know the facts about what’s coming out of your faucets. But most of the information you need is readily available for free. And, if you want to double-check, make sure you’re working with and using a reputable testing or filtration product.
This Week’s Alerts
LastPass Phishing: Password manager provider LastPass has issued a warning of phishing attempts to steal victims’ master passwords, which could compromise an individual’s entire vault of sign-on info. The fraudsters have set up realistic looking sign-on pages, using names very similar to the correct one. They also use robocalls that connect to phony customer service reps who request the details.
Fake toll bills: Toll roads are increasingly common across the nation and, yes, it’s possible you may have driven on one without realizing or forgot to pay. Enter the scammers, who are currently sending out fake unpaid bills via SMS text messages. Most, if not all, toll collection agencies don’t send out bills via texts, but if you get one, or even one by email, log onto your official account (not using any provided links) and check there.
That's it for today -- we hope you enjoy your week!