DAYTON, Ohio - November 14, 2018 - The Dayton Power and Light Company (DP&L), a subsidiary of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES), joins the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) along with electric, gas, and water companies from across the United States and Canada to help customers understand how to protect themselves from utility scams. The third annual Utility Scam Awareness Day is today, supported by a week-long advocacy and awareness campaign November 11-17, educating customers on the tactics scammers use and how to avoid them.
One of the most common types of utility scams involves customers receiving unsolicited telephone, electronic, or in-person communications by an individual claiming to represent the utility. The scammer states that they can receive a discount on their utility service or their service will be disconnected if payment is not made immediately.
DP&L reminds customers: do not provide personal information or comply with requests for payments.
Before you do anything, hang up and call DP&L at 800-433-8500 to ask questions about anyone contacting you about your bill or claiming to be from the utility.
DP&L offers these tips:
- Never give anyone personal information such as your Social Security number, bank account number or credit card number.
- If you have already provided information to someone making this offer, contact your bank and the three national credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, immediately.
- DP&L will only come to your door to collect payment if your account is past due and you have been sent notice that your account is scheduled for disconnection. DP&L employees carry photo identification which customers should request to see.
- Check on elderly relatives and friends, often targets of such schemes, to make sure they have not fallen victim to this fraud.
Learn more at dpandl.com/scam.