Duke Energy cautions customers in Indiana to guard against utility scammers
PLAINFIELD, Ind., May 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy is warning its customers in Indiana to be on guard against phone calls from utility scammers who are demanding that customers pay their electric bill immediately or risk having their electric service disconnected within the hour. Local law enforcement officials say the number of scam calls reported by citizens has increased in the past few days. "These scammers are thieves who prey on unsuspecting customers with the sole purpose of stealing their money," said Marvin Blade, Indiana vice president of community relations for Duke Energy. "The scammers typically target elderly residents or small family-owned businesses, including restaurants, repair shops or other retail businesses." The best way to defend yourself against these scammers is to recognize how the scam works and understand that Duke Energy never asks customers for prepaid debit cards. Typically, the customer receives an unsolicited phone call from an individual who falsely claims to be a Duke Energy representative demanding immediate payment, usually in the form of a prepaid debit card. Scammers have even duplicated the Duke Energy upfront Interactive Voice Response system, so when customers call back phone numbers provided by the scammer, it sounds like a legitimate Duke Energy phone number. Some of these criminals also use caller-ID spoofing to replicate Duke Energy's customer service number. Red flags for scam activity
How to protect yourself
Customers can get more scam and fraud prevention information at our "Report Fraud and Scams" web page. Duke Energy Indiana Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,600 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 840,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana's largest electric supplier. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit. Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects. Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2019 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Contact: Lew Middleton View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duke-energy-cautions-customers-in-indiana-to-guard-against-utility-scammers-300853232.html SOURCE Duke Energy |
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