It’s Utility Scam Awareness Week
What can you do to stop scammers? Plenty.
And this week (Nov. 13-17) is a great time to talk about it because it’s Utility Scam Awareness Week.
Establishing a week to focus on utility scams was the brainchild of Utilities United Against Scams, a consortium of utilities in the U.S. and Canada. Scams against utility customers — whether electric, water, gas, etc. — aren’t limited to one area of the United States, or even to this country. We’re a member of UUAS.
More than 120 utilities and trade associations have joined together in this effort. We’re united in our efforts to help protect you against fraud. The group has also declared the third Wednesday in November as Utilities United Against Scams Day; this year it’s Nov. 15.
There are many different types of scams. UUAS developed a primer on the 10 most common scams. We think it’s helpful and we invite you to share it with your friends and relatives.
While utilities have come together to focus on scams this week, customers need to be vigilant every day.
Remember, if you’re ever in doubt about the circumstances of a phone call or an email, or even someone knocking on your door, stop and call us at 1-800-DIAL-PPL (342-5775).
Hello,
I received a call today at 6:15 pm from a caller off of Wayne, PA. The caller claimed that I am eligible to get money back from a surplus electricity bill but will need to verify my account information. Knowing full well that I do not have an electricity account from PPL under my name and realizing that this is a potential scam, I informed them. They verified the name in the account, which turned out to be my dad’s name, and the city he lived in. After telling them that I do not reside in that city nor did my dad list my number as his point of contact, the scammer hung up.
The number I received a call from is +1 (484) 585-4970.