PPL took the unusual step of warning its customers Wednesday about a phone scam con artists are currently targeting electricity customers in the Lehigh Valley with.
In an email, the power company said customers are receiving calls which appear to come from the PPL call center.
“These calls threaten imminent disconnection of service unless the customer immediately pays a sum of money,” the company warned. “Threatened shut-offs are a tactic used in previous scam attempts against our customers and at other utilities across the country.”
“The bogus number that customers are being told to call varies,” it added. “We’ve had reports of the numbers 855-625-7634, 844-255-4708 and 866-978-5151 being used. In some cases, the bogus number has been set up to look on Caller ID like it is from PPL.”
PPL offered the following information about corporate practices and protocols to help customers avoid being scammed:
- PPL doesn’t accept Green Dot or other prepaid debit cards for bill payments.
- PPL “never” calls customers threatening to shut off electricity unless an immediate payment is made.
- PPL doesn’t call customers seeking personal information.
“Service termination always is a last resort,” PPL said. “When we begin the service termination process, we provide formal notification. At any time, a customer who is delinquent can call us to make a payment arrangement and avoid shutoff.”
PPL customers who believe they have been the target of a scam attempt can call 1-800-342-5775 as well as their local police department to report it.
The only number customers should call to discuss their account is 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775). Mid-size to large businesses can call 1-888-220-9991, option 4.
