GOP Sen. Tim Scott is sending misleading emails to South Carolinians that their “heat will be turned off” as part of a fundraising pitch.
“Your heat will be turned off. Emergency Notice,” read the email received by a South Carolina resident, The Huffington Post reported.
“Biden has crippled our patriotic oil & gas industry and every American is paying the price,” the email continued, a screenshot of which was obtained by HuffPost. “Many have been FORCED to turn off the heat in their homes because the prices are simply too high, leaving families without warmth during the winter,” the message continued.
The email urges readers to take a survey about drilling for oil and gas and the link reportedly redirects them to Scott’s campaign page asking for money. One Twitter user called the politician “Another cunning grifter.”
Another said, “Republican politicians use and abuse their base, constantly. It’s awful that their base either won’t or can’t see it.”
A third noted that Scott’s email “sounds like criminal behavior.”
“I wonder if the State of SC will respond to this unusual email used for raising money,” the user added.
“Nailing him won’t happen because it will be labeled racially biased by Republicans. And…FBI and Garland are in pause mode for 24 more months,” tweeted one critic.
Several commenters blasted Republicans for using fear and scare tactics to get votes and money from their base.
The alarming email from Scott’s campaign comes at a time of the year when utility scams are on the rise, according to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs.
Utility scams happen over the phone or in person and via phishing emails or “smishing” text messages, per AARP. The imposters tell potential victims that their account is past due and the gas, water, or electric service will be shut off if payment is not received immediately.
The goal is to get the unsuspecting target to supply their personal or financial information to resolve the issue. The scammer then uses the date to make fraudulent charges in the victim’s name.
Utility scammers tend to target elderly Americans and non-English speaking people, according to Houston-based utility company CenterPoint Energy, AARP reported.
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