ALLENTOWN, Pa., Aug. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PPL Electric
Utilities is warning its customers to be aware of a phone scam in
which calls appear to come from the utility and mimic the company's
call center.
Customers are being called and told their account is delinquent
and they need to make an immediate payment or have their
electricity shut off. In many cases, customers are being told to
pay with prepaid debit cards. They are being instructed to call a
phony call center, where they are prompted to enter their account
information.
In one brazen attempt, a scammer walked into a business
pretending to be from PPL and demanded money under threat of a
service shut-off, but was unsuccessful.
Threatened shut-offs are a tactic used in previous scam attempts
against PPL customers and at other utilities across the
country.
The bogus number that customers are being told to call—
855-625-7634 — has been associated with other scams against utility
customers in other parts of the country. Another number —
844-255-4708 — also is being used. In some cases, the bogus number
has been set up to look on Caller ID like it is from PPL.
Mostly business, and some residential, customers have been
targeted by the recent scams.
PPL reminds its residential and small business customers that
the only number they should be calling to discuss their account is
1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775). Mid-size to large businesses can
call 1-888-220-9991, option 4.
"We want all of our customers to be aware of this sophisticated
scam activity and be prepared," said Christopher Cardenas, customer services vice
president. "We continue to work with law enforcement on these
cases, and we urge any customers who receive scam calls to notify
their local police."
Here is important information to avoid scams:
- PPL never sends anyone to demand bill payment
- PPL does not call customers seeking personal information
- PPL never calls customers threatening to shut off electric
service unless immediate payment is made
- PPL does not accept Green Dot or other prepaid debit cards for
bill payments
PPL does conduct collections activities on accounts that are
legitimately delinquent. Service termination always is a last
resort. When PPL begins the service termination process, it
provides a formal notification that involves a letter and phone
call as well as information left at the address in question. At any
time, a customer who is delinquent can call PPL to make a payment
arrangement and avoid shutoff.
Be sure to report any scam attempts to PPL at 1-800-342-5775 and
also to local police.
PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE:
PPL), provides electric delivery services to about 1.4 million
customers in Pennsylvania and
consistently ranks among the best companies for customer service in
the United States. More
information is available at www.pplelectric.com.
Visit our media website at
www.pplnewsroom.com for additional news
and background about PPL Corporation.
Contact:
Paul Wirth, 610-774-5997
PPL Electric Utilities
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SOURCE PPL Electric Utilities