You type your electric company’s name and “pay bill” into a search engine, click the first convincing result, and see a familiar logo on the page. It feels routine enough that you may enter your account information without looking closely, but the Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers that the page they reach may not actually belong to their utility company. In an August 2026 consumer alert, the FTC explained that dishonest businesses can use paid search ads to steer consumers toward third-party payment websites while making those sites appear connected to the biller. Some third-party services may ultimately send your payment, but others can add fees, delay the transaction, or potentially expose you to outright fraud.
The FTC isn’t issuing this warning in a vacuum. On August 17, the agency announced a $2.1 million settlement with bill-payment company Doxo over allegations involving misleading search ads, biller affiliations, and fees. The FTC says consumers searching online for payment pages should be especially careful with paid search results. Before entering a card or bank account number, look for these nine warning signs that you’re on a fake utility payment website or an unofficial payment service.
