November 15, 2021 – Beaches Energy will join Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) to recognize the week-long International Scam Awareness Week, an advocacy and awareness campaign focused on educating customers and exposing the tactics used by scammers.
UUAS, a consortium of more than 145 U.S. and Canadian electric, water, and natural gas utilities and their respective trade associations, continues to create awareness of common scams and new scam tactics being used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its work and with the help of customer reporting, UUAS has succeeded in taking nearly 9,500 toll-free numbers used by scammers against utility customers out of operation.
The most common scam? Scammers demand money or personal information on the spot—usually with threatening language—and indicate that service will be disconnected immediately.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, scammers have increased calls, texts, emails, and in-person tactics and are contacting utility customers asking for immediate payment to avoid service disconnection. As a reminder, Beaches Energy will never send a single notification to a customer within one hour of a service interruption, and we will never ask customers to make payments with a pre-paid debit card, gift card, any form of cryptocurrency, or third-party digital payment mobile applications.
If you receive an email, phone call, text, or knock at the door, please keep the following tips in mind:
- Slow down. Scammers typically try to rush customers and will ask for personal information and immediate payment.
- Verify. Scammers often pose as utility company employees. If they are in person, always ask for a company ID. If the scammer is on the phone, make sure they can verify that they are with Beaches Energy. If you are unsure, hang up, close the door, or ignore the email and contact us at 904-247-6241.
- Stop before you act. Think about the information the caller or potential scammer is asking of you. If it seems unsafe or incorrect, rethink the situation and ask questions.
Think you’ve been threatened by a scammer? Call Beaches Energy at 904-247-6241.
Visit www.utilitiesunited.org for more information and tips on how you can protect yourself from impostor utility scams.