I saw on YT where power companies are sending residents $30K+ bills for decades of unpaid electricity usage. Apparently the electric companies are searching for people dumb enough to pay with no questions asked.
This particular scam involves developers who failed to file paperwork transferring the roads and lighting (signals, street lights, etc.) over to the local municipality. Usually, when the last home is sold in a development, the developers transfer ownership of the remaining property to the local government -- to include roads, water, and electric service.
When that transfer doesn't happen, the electric company has nobody to bill for the electricity used. So, they've done audits of the unpaid usage, and they sent bills for sometimes 2-3 decades of electric service to the owners of the houses in the development.
When asked, the power company said they didn't expect the homeowners to pay the bill. They just used that "tactic" to get them to discuss the situation going forward.
Really? Smacks of a scam to me. If they wanted to talk, they could have done so without sending out bills that are more than 150 times their expected amount!
I've had this problem with the Board of Water Supply. The valve where the water service is connected at the sidewalk has sprung a leak more than once. After I got bills that were double normal, I went out and checked and took pictures. The hole under the steel cover was full of water and bubbling up.
Usually they are good about sending out a service truck. Getting the charges reversed takes a lot longer. One time, I was expecting a $300 credit for a few months of "spilled" water, and after 6 months, I called and told them I'm going to stop paying my water bill. They gave me the credit on the next billing cycle.
It's difficult to win a battle with a public utility that has a 100% monopoly. Not much you can do but withhold payment, which can also screw up your credit rating and cause service to be cut off.