RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Utility scams
are on the rise again in Virginia
and across the country. Reports of scammers calling Dominion Energy
customers threatening disconnection in exchange for immediate
payment has increased by 49 percent since last year.
"Customers report that the caller ID on their phone says
'Dominion' when they are actually being contacted by a scammer,"
said Marc Gaudette,
director-Corporate Security, Safety & Health at Dominion
Energy. "They are told the power to their home or business will be
cut within minutes if payment (usually via a pre-paid debit card or
credit card) is not provided immediately. Customers are given a
fake number to call for payment, and the recording is a copy of
Dominion Energy's own phone greeting."
Dominion Energy reminds customers that it doesn't do business
this way.
"We never threaten customers with immediate disconnection
when they are behind on their bills," said Charlene Whitfield, vice-president-Customer
Service at Dominion Energy. "We contact customers by phone or in
writing multiple times to work out a payment plan before
disconnection occurs. The payment plan never requires payment
within an hour or less."
Dominion Energy is working with local and federal law
enforcement as well as other energy companies and utilities to
monitor these scams. The best defense against scams is education
and awareness. This year alone, nationwide scams awareness and
education has resulted in the shutdown of more than 500 bogus phone
numbers.
Dominion Energy does not:
- Use aggressive threats to disconnect service (usually within an
hour or less)
- Insist on immediate payment, over the phone
- Request a pre-paid card to be used for payment over the
phone
But customers can protect themselves and their community by
remembering:
- Never purchase a pre-paid card to avoid shut off— we
will not insist on just one type of payment. You can pay in-person
at a designated payment center (locations listed here) or through
your online account. All payment options available are listed
here.
- Verify what you're being told about your account.
Hang up and call us at 866-DOM-HELP to confirm whether or not a
payment is due, not any other number.
- Collect information from the scammer, such as phone numbers
or names, to help us and law enforcement track and spread the
word to customers.
For more information about protecting yourself against scams,
visit https://www.dominionenergy.com/scams.
About Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) is one of the nation's largest
producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of
approximately 25,600 megawatts of generation, 15,000 miles of
natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,600
miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion Energy operates one
of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 1 trillion
cubic feet of storage capacity and serves more than 6 million
utility and retail energy customers. For more information about
Dominion Energy, visit the company's website:
www.DominionEnergy.com.
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SOURCE Dominion Energy