Consumer Protection Week: How to Identify a Utility Scammer
By: Dominion Energy News
– Five Tips to Help Customers Stay Safe
RICHMOND, Va., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — In observance of National Consumer Protection Week (Mar. 6 – 12), Dominion Energy reminds customers how to spot utility scams and the best ways to stay safe.
“Criminals posing as Dominion Energy employees are constantly developing new scams designed to trick customers out of money or personal information,” said Utibe Bassey, Dominion Energy’s Vice President of Customer Experience. “The quickest way to protect yourself from a phone scam is to hang up and verify your account balance and payment due date online or on the Dominion Energy app.”
Dominion Energy offers the following tips, so customers know what to do if they suspect a scammer has contacted them:
- Slow down – Utility scammers pressure customers to act quickly by instilling fear and a sense of urgency.
- Stop – Dominion Energy never demands immediate payment to avoid disconnection and does not accept payment using prepaid or gift cards.
- Hang up – Some scammers may appear on your caller ID as though they are calling from Dominion Energy. If a caller asks for any of your personal information, don’t give it to them. Just hang up.
- Verify – Scammers do not typically know the customer’s account balance. Fact check the scammer’s claims by signing into the Dominion Energy app, online at dominionenergy.com or calling the number located on an energy bill.\
- Ignore – Don’t respond to suspicious emails or text messages. Don’t click on links or attachments prompting energy bill payment.
In all of these cases, don’t provide any identifying information such as your social security, credit or debit card numbers. For more about the warning signs of scam activity, visit dominionenergy.com/scams.