At a time when the recent heat wave may increase next month’s electric
bills, utility customers are being taken in by an identity theft scheme
that is sweeping the country.
Dayton Power & Light (DP&L) has received calls from customers who have
been contacted by individuals who claim President Obama is paying
utility bills as part of a bailout plan. Targets of the scam are asked
to register for the program and to provide personal and financial
information.
But there is no such program. The scammers are simply seeking personal
information as part of a nationwide identity theft fraud. Unfortunately,
many victims received forwarded emails or text messages from friends and
family.
The scam uses email, twitter, phone calls and even door-to-door visits.
Sometimes, utility customers are asked to provide the number on the back
of their Social Security cards. It is a way to get Social Security
numbers, bank account or routing numbers to use in identity theft.
The scammers assure targets that their utility bills will be paid if the
information is provided and in some cases they provide a confirmation
number. But victims soon learn that the bill was not paid. And now the
identity theft scammers have personal and financial information to
deduct funds from victims’ accounts.
For more information, see this
warning from the Better Business Bureau.
DP&L offers these tips:
-
Never give anyone personal information such as your Social Security
number (or numbers from the back of your Social Security card), bank
account number or credit card number unless you initiated the
conversation and you are confident the transaction is legitimate.
-
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be with your utility
company asking for payment, hang up and call the utility’s customer
service number. DP&L customers can email
us or call
800-433-8500.
-
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.
-
If someone pressures you to provide personal or financial information,
hang up immediately. Notify your local police department.
-
Check on elderly relatives and friends, often targets of such schemes,
to make sure they have not fallen victim to this fraud.
About The Dayton Power and Light Company and DPL Inc.
The
Dayton Power and Light Company is the principal subsidiary of DPL Inc.,
a regional energy company.
DPL Inc.’s other subsidiaries include DPL Energy, LLC (DPLE) and DPL
Energy Resources, Inc. (DPLER), which also does business as DP&L Energy.
The Dayton Power and Light Company, a regulated electric utility,
provides service to over 500,000 retail customers in West Central Ohio;
DPLE engages in the operation of merchant peaking generation facilities;
and DPLER is a competitive retail electric supplier. DPL Inc., through
its subsidiaries, owns and operates approximately 3,800 megawatts of
generation capacity, of which 2,800 megawatts are coal-fired units and
1,000 megawatts are natural gas and diesel peaking units. Further
information can be found at www.dplinc.com.
DPL Inc. was acquired by The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) in 2011. AES is
a Fortune 200 global power company. It provides affordable, sustainable
energy to 27 countries through a diverse portfolio of distribution
businesses as well as thermal and renewable generation facilities. Its
workforce of 27,000 people is committed to operational excellence and
meeting the world's changing power needs. AES’ 2011 revenues were $17
billion and it owns and manages $45 billion in total assets. To learn
more, please visit www.aes.com.
