TL;DR: Scammers impersonate Hydro-Québec with phishing emails and texts, shutoff threat calls demanding card numbers, door-to-door “assistance” offers and fake job offers that charge a fee. Hydro-Québec says it never asks for card or banking details by email or text, never issues refunds or outage compensation by text or email, doesn’t accept credit cards for electricity bills and doesn’t sell door to door. Forward texts to 7726 and send copies to Surveillance.Fraudes@hydro.qc.ca.
What Hydro-Québec never does
From Hydro-Québec’s fraud prevention page:
- ask for your credit card number, personal or banking information by email or text;
- ask for money to open a job application file;
- issue refunds or compensation by text or email (and there’s no compensation for outages);
- accept credit card payment for electricity bills (cards work for certain programs only);
- make sales calls or door-to-door visits, or partner with heat pump retailers;
- ask about your electricity bill at your door.
That credit card rule is a great tell: a caller threatening a shutoff unless you read out your card number is, by Hydro-Québec’s own rules, a scam.
The scams going around
- Phishing emails and texts with spelling errors, invented problems like late payments, urgent demands and links to data-grabbing pages.
- Phone threats: “pay by card now or we cut your power.”
- Doorstep or phone “assistance”: fake employees offering financial help or lower bills in exchange for information.
- Fake job offers asking for a fee.
New in 2026: fake "Hydro-Québec investment" sites
On 11 August 2026, Hydro-Québec warned that "several fraudulent investment websites falsely claiming to be associated with Hydro-Québec are currently online." People who clicked links were asked for credit card numbers or confidential information.
The giveaway is simple: Hydro-Québec does not issue shares. It pays dividends only to its sole shareholder, the Government of Québec, and finances itself through the bond market, with bond information on its official Investor Relations site. So any site offering "Hydro-Québec shares" or guaranteed returns is fake.
If you clicked and shared information, Hydro-Québec says to contact your financial institution immediately to secure or close the account, report it to local police, and read the Autorité des marchés financiers guidance on fraudulent trading platforms. Fake investment platforms borrowing trusted brand names are a growing problem everywhere; see deepfake investment scams.
The shutoff threat, explained
Hydro-Québec has warned about waves of calls that demand immediate payment and threaten to cut your power, including a 2020 alert at a time when it had suspended disconnections altogether. Because Hydro-Québec doesn’t take credit cards for electricity bills, a caller demanding your card number to stop a shutoff fails the test immediately. Hang up and check your account at hydroquebec.com.
How Hydro-Québec does contact you
By text, email or phone for information, such as late payment notices or reminders to act in your account. If unsure, don’t click; go to hydroquebec.com directly.
How to report
- Forward suspicious texts to 7726.
- Send a copy of suspicious emails or texts to Surveillance.Fraudes@hydro.qc.ca with your name and phone number.
- Report suspected fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Utility scams are everywhere: see Hydro One and BC Hydro. A free email exposure check shows if your email has leaked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hydro-Québec accept credit cards for electricity bills?
No. Hydro-Québec says it doesn’t accept credit card payment for electricity bills, so card demands to avoid a shutoff are scams.
Does Hydro-Québec text refunds or compensation?
No. It doesn’t issue refunds or compensation by text or email.
Does Hydro-Québec sell door to door?
No. It doesn’t make sales calls or door-to-door visits.
Can I buy Hydro-Québec shares?
No. Hydro-Québec says it doesn’t issue shares; its only shareholder is the Government of Québec. Sites offering Hydro-Québec investments are fake.
How do I report a fake Hydro-Québec message?
Forward texts to 7726 and send a copy to Surveillance.Fraudes@hydro.qc.ca.
Sources
- Hydro-Québec: Fraud prevention
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Hydro-Québec: Fraudulent investment websites using Hydro-Québec's name (Aug 2026)
- Hydro-Québec: Another wave of fraudulent calls