Would you know what to do if you received a phone call telling you that your electricity would be shut off if you did not pay immediately with a prepaid card?

Scam artists nationwide continue to target electric utility customers by threatening to shut off their service based on false claims of overdue bills.

In the past, we’ve received complaints from both business and residential customers about callers claiming to be from the utility. The scammers falsely claim that the customers are behind on their bills. They demand an immediate payment by way of a pre-paid debit card for the customer to avoid having service disconnected.

How can you avoid these scams?

• Be informed about your account. You can check their account balances by logging on to pplelectric.com with your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can also call PPL Electric Utilities for your account balance at 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775).
• Know your payment options. Be guarded about anyone who requests immediate payment by phone. We accept payment online, by traditional mail, at payment centers and through the use of credit or debit cards.
• Check with us. If you have any doubts about a caller claiming to represent PPL Electric Utilities, or about information given to you, hang up and call us 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775) for verification. If things don’t check out, you should call your local police department.
• Know when we’d visit your home. Most visits to customer homes by us or our contractors are prearranged by the customer or through a call to the customer. If someone claiming to be from PPL Electric Utilities comes to your door, ask for proper identification that all of our employees and contractors carry. Most service employees also wear company uniforms and drive company vehicles.

Remember: If you have any doubts about whether someone is representing PPL Electric Utilities, you can always contact us for verification.