Utility scammers never take a day off and they’re always looking for the next opportunity to fool you out of your hard-earned money. We want you to stay vigilant and know how to identify scammers, so you can stop them in their tracks.

If you receive a call or email asking about your electric bill or electricity supplier, it’s important to make sure you know the warning signs of a scam. Here are a few things to look out for:

• Don’t give into threats: “We’ll shut off your service if you don’t pay us immediately.” Scammers say this, we don’t. We will never call and demand immediate payment by credit card or bank account. If you are at risk of losing service, we’ll reach out via several ways and provide many opportunities to prevent shut off by contacting us to set up a payment plan. We never want to terminate anyone’s service, and we view service termination as an absolute last resort.
• Pay attention to payment methods: We will never request you pay a bill with a gift card, prepaid card, Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency.
• Watch out for spam: Today’s scammers will use lookalike logos or trademarks to fool you. So, when you open an email, be sure it’s coming from us before you click on anything.
• Don’t always trust caller ID: Scammers can make it look like a phone call is coming from PPL Electric Utilities. If you suspect the caller might not really be us, hang up immediately and verify your account information on our website.

Sometimes, scammers knock on doors or could even confront you while in a public place. If a marketer stops you, remember the following tips:

• We’re not salespeople: We do not market or sell supplier services door-to-door. If a solicitor claims to represent PPL Electric, tell them you’re busy and can’t speak. Then contact us directly. Most importantly, don’t provide any personal information to them.
• Take your time: As part of intimidation tactics, scammers may press you to act quickly. Stop, slow down and end the conversation. Reach out to us directly to confirm any details mentioned during the conversation or the status of your bill.
• Ask for identification: All PPL Electric employees carry an ID badge. Our employees are required to show you their ID when asked, so if they can’t produce a badge, shut the door.

Whether it’s an email, phone call or knock at the door, it never hurts to be mindful. Combine these general tips with those mentioned above to ensure you are staying vigilant:

• Sign up for an online account at pplelectric.com to always have access to your information. You can sign up in three easy steps and view your bill status, electricity supplier information, overall usage and more.
• Update your PPL Electric account with a security PIN or password and never give it to anyone who calls you. That way, when you call us, we can ask for your PIN or password to make sure it’s really you and you’re authorized to talk about the account.

The best way to prevent yourself from falling victim to a scam is to stay informed and be vigilant. And, if anything seems even slightly off about a situation, feel free to get in touch with us. For more information and tips about utility scams, visit pplelectric.com/scams.