Florida Attorney General Warns of Fake Utility Workers Phone Scam

Florida Attorney General Issues Warning on Utility Scam

Florida’s attorney general has issued a warning to alert consumers about a new scam involving callers posing as utility company employees. These scammers attempt to obtain credit and prepaid debit card information over the phone.

Details of the Scam

A report published by the Herald Tribune describes the scam in which, according to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, callers typically claim to be employees of Tampa Electric Company, Gulf Power Company, Duke Energy Florida Inc., Florida Power & Light Company, and other Florida utilities. The scammers then threaten to shut off consumers’ power and other essential services if they do not provide credit card or prepaid debit card information.

Attorney General Bondi warns that the scammers will likely use the stolen information to make fraudulent purchases.

Caller ID Spoofing Makes Scam Harder to Detect

According to reports, this scam is more difficult to identify than other types of phone fraud because some of the fake utility workers use a technique known as “caller ID spoofing.” This method makes calls appear as though they are coming from the consumer’s actual utility provider.

How to Identify a Legitimate Utility Company

According to the attorney general’s alert, real utility companies will never:

• Require payment through a prepaid debit card.
• Call customers asking for personal information.
• Demand immediate payment over the phone.

Additionally, utility workers in the field always carry photo identification and never handle money when dealing with customers.

What to Do If You Suspect a Scam

The attorney general urges consumers to never provide personal information over the phone, regardless of the caller’s claims. If you suspect that you have been targeted by this scam, take the following steps:

• Report the activity to your utility company.
• Notify local law enforcement.
• File a complaint on the Attorney General’s website or with the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.