SCAM Alert: How You Can Help Deter Fraud

You may have received an e-mail congratulating you on winning a sweepstakes you never entered, or phone call that your insurance company requires some personal information, or, in the case of one of our own Lakeway residents recently, an unbranded postcard in the mail suggesting the recipient has an important package waiting to be delivered. There have even been recent cases of someone knocking on Lakeway residents’ doors to sell them on water testing, potentially citing they are from Lakeway MUD, but not wearing proper LMUD attire. All of these are potential causes of fraud that should evoke suspicion instead of an action.

We want to take a moment to remind our neighbors that if you receive any type of suspicious communication, always check the validity of the information by contacting the cited source directly – NEVER give your approval or any of your personal information to anyone, unless you were expecting contact from them or you contacted them directly!

Yesterday, one of our customers, a Lakeway resident, brought to our attention a postcard he received in the mail. It suggested the recipient has an important package that needs to be delivered and to call the number on the notice. When our customer called, he was told the company had been hired by the City of Lakeway to test his water. This is not a true statement! The customer was even offered a gift certificate if he would allow them to come into his home to test his water. Another resident notified us that someone came to her door, saying they were a representative from Lakeway MUD asking to test her water then wanting to sell her a water softener – she was immediately suspicious since they showed up in a vehicle and wore clothing that did not indicate they were from LMUD. In both cases, the customers did exactly the right thing by getting rid of the suspicious person and calling us directly for verification. If you receive similar contact, please be aware that there is no outside company hired to do any water testing in Lakeway.

We ask that our customers stay vigilant to protect themselves. If you receive any form of communication – in person, by phone, text, e-mail, or mail, etc. – that doesn’t seem right, don’t act on it until you have verified its validity by contacting the cited source directly. If you ever feel threatened, call 911.

Please contact us any time you receive unwarranted communication about your water. Be aware that LMUD employees will ALWAYS show up in their LMUD-branded uniform in an LMUD-branded vehicle when conducting business on your property on behalf of LMUD.

Thank you for your time and attention. Let’s all stay safe!

UPDATE 6/11/19: The Lakeway Police Department has investigated this and documented at least one incident. They interviewed the Lakeway resident who had the person come to her house, who we have come to find out had also received the same postcard indicating she had a package needing to be delivered . She called the number and agreed for them to come out and test her water (we incorrectly insinuated they just showed up at her door). We also incorrectly stated they implied to be from LMUD – she told the officer that they told her they were from a plumbing company in Austin and tried to sell her a water filtration system for $10,000.