Community Leaders, There is currently a phone and email scam where customers are being targeted to attempt to seek customers of Duke Energy,( residential and small business customers) and other utilities to believe they must act quickly to avoid disconnection of service. Please feel free to share the following information: Duke Energy has taken a number of number of steps to generate awareness of the phone payment scam. We have used radio advertising campaigns, bill statement messages, customer emails, social media, proactive local media outreach and outbound call campaigns to small business customers. The email phishing campaign is a new scam targeting utility customers nationwide, and is something the public should be aware of. It’s important for customers to look or listen for “red flags” if they are contacted by someone claiming to represent Duke Energy. Here is how the phone scam works: A customer receives an unsolicited phone call from an individual who falsely claims to be a Duke Energy representative. The scammer warns that Duke Energy will disconnect the customer’s electric service if the customer fails to make an immediate payment – usually within one hour. The thief instructs the customer to purchase a prepaid debit card – widely available at retail stores – then call him or her back to supposedly make a payment to Duke Energy. The scammer asks the customer for the prepaid debit card’s receipt number and PIN number, which grants instant access to the card’s funds. Some of these criminals have recently adopted new tactics, using caller ID spoofing to replicate Duke Energy’s customer service number, or falsely claiming to be with a third party collection agency representing Duke Energy. They can also become aggressive when questioned about the legitimacy of their calls, and some specifically target Spanish-speaking customers, restaurants and other small businesses. Important reminders for Duke Energy customers: In reality, Duke Energy never asks or requires customers who have delinquent accounts to purchase a prepaid debit card to avoid electric service disconnection. Customers can make payments online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person. Duke Energy customers who have delinquent accounts also receive advance notice prior to electric service disconnection – never just a single notification one hour before disconnection. The company urges customers who suspect or experience fraud, or feel threatened during contact with one of these thieves, to hang up and call local police, then Duke Energy using the customer service number on their billing statement , to report the call and check their account balance. Here is how the new phishing email scam works: Consumers have reported receiving emails from “PG&E” that claim their “Energy” bill is past due. The email instructs the recipient to click on a link to pay the bill. If you click on the link in this email, you will download a virus on your computer that could lead to identity theft. If you input your credit card to pay this bill, you will have unauthorized charges on your credit card. If you input your debit card, your bank account could be cleaned out within minutes. Red flags to spot this scam: The bill is from a company that you don’t recognize. PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) is a real company, but it does not serve the Carolinas. The email is in your SPAM or junk email folder. Your email provider can filter mass emails sent by certain types of senders. The bill has misspelled words or formatting errors in it. This bill contains multiple mistakes: the word “Received” is misspelled; an amount doesnt have a $ sign in front of it; a zero is left off of the total amount; the word “BY” is in all capital letters. The reply email address, which you can see by hovering over the “From: PG&E” does not include the company’s name. Thanks for reviewing this information and please share with others in the community to ensure our friends and neighbors are not deceived by these actions of those that might take advantage of them.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:00:12 +0000
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