AKRON,
Ohio, Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In
recognition of Utility Scam Awareness Day on Wednesday, Nov. 20, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE)
is offering tips to prevent the public from falling for common
utility scams, especially as the cold winter months are fast
approaching.
Scammers often prey on the fears of vulnerable customers to
steal their personal information and trick them into paying "unpaid
bills" to avoid service disconnection. To date in 2024, FirstEnergy
has received more than 3,400 reports of scams from customers. The
actual number of scam attempts is even higher since many go
unreported to the company or law enforcement officials.
Michelle Henry, Senior Vice
President of Customer Experience at FirstEnergy: "Education is
key when it comes to helping our customers avoid common utility
scams. While we take significant measures to ensure the safety and
security of our customer account information, we urge you to be on
guard against impostors who claim to be associated with our
company."
Read about known utility scams and how to avoid them on
our website.
Utility Scam Awareness Day is organized by Utilities United
Against Scams, a group of more than 150 electric companies and
related organizations working together to educate customers on how
they can prevent becoming victims of utility impostors.
Scammers work year-round, but they tend to be more active during
colder months because they know customers rely on electricity to
stay safe and warm and are more likely to comply due to fear of
disconnection.
Stop Utility Impostors in Their Tracks
Scammers continue to implement sophisticated tactics to
impersonate utility companies. It is important that customers can
distinguish between legitimate contacts from their utility and
attempts used by utility impostors. Here are some tips to help:
- Well in advance of the disconnection date, FirstEnergy utility
customers who are behind on their accounts will be sent written
notice of their account status with instructions on how to avoid
disconnection of service.
- Utility impostors often require that you use unusual payment
methods like digital payment apps, cryptocurrencies or
money transfers. Only send payments to your FirstEnergy operating
company using our established payment methods.
- FirstEnergy field collectors working in New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio may offer customers with past-due
accounts the opportunity to pay their bill in person before
disconnecting service. All employees carry company-issued photo
identification.
- Some scammers go door-to-door posing as representatives of
FirstEnergy and offer "special deals" to customers who provide
their personal information. FirstEnergy employees and authorized
contractors do not solicit door-to-door and will never ask you to
provide a copy of your electric bill.
- Scammers often use Caller ID spoofing software to misrepresent
the source of a phone call to further mislead and confuse their
targets. When in doubt, hang up and dial the phone number on
your FirstEnergy bill. Never dial the phone number provided by the
scammer or the Caller ID.
- Bad actors frequently pretend to offer bill assistance through
programs that do not exist in order to steal sensitive customer
information. Customers in need of assistance should view our list
of authorized bill assistance programs.
- Utility imposters have spoofed employment listings on
legitimate job-search websites to trick jobseekers into providing
personal data. You can verify the authenticity of the posting by
visiting www.firstenergycorp.com/careers or contacting
FirstEnergy's Human Resources department
at FirstEnergyHR@firstenergycorp.com.
- Cyber criminals may also try to steal your private information
using malware delivered through texts and emails. Avoid clicking on
any links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails or
texts.
Please share this information with friends and family to
continue raising awareness of these crimes. You can also follow
FirstEnergy electric companies on Facebook and X as well as
visit Utilities United Against Scams' website for regular scam
safety tips.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, West Virginia,
Maryland and New York. The company's transmission
subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines
that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow
FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on X
@FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.