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CFE Alerts Public to Meter-Change Extortion as Legal Complaints Yield Arrests

The utility urges customers to verify personnel via 071, using only official payment channels.

Overview

  • CFE reports a coordinated scheme in which impostors claim a mandatory meter change, threaten fines, and seek cash or transfers to personal accounts.
  • Incidents have been documented in Estado de México, Mexico City and Baja California, with authorities warning the pattern could spread to other regions.
  • Fraud tactics include printed notices with fake deadlines and phone numbers, house visits in look‑alike uniforms, and follow‑up calls from supposed area chiefs.
  • Alleged fines typically range from 5,000 to 20,000 pesos, and some perpetrators bolster the ruse with fabricated LinkedIn profiles.
  • CFE says it has opened an internal investigation, coordinated national divisions, and filed complaints with federal and state prosecutors that led to several detentions.