Here’s what to do if someone calls you and says they are with JEA and your past-due bill must be paid immediately to avoid disconnection.
Then they instruct you to purchase a prepaid debit card for the transaction and call them back to give them the card and PIN numbers.
Don’t do it.
That’s a scam that’s in a “flare-up” targeting business customers in Northeast Florida, said Deb Beaver, JEA director of business development for commercial accounts.
Nine months ago, JEA joined a group of about 80 utilities working together to make their customers aware of scams and to track national trends in utility-related consumer fraud.
“We are sharing our databases,” Beaver said.
Next week, JEA and the other members of the coalition across North America are mobilizing “Utilities United Against Scams,” a public awareness campaign to safeguard their customers from criminals who impersonate utility company representatives.
The coalition has designated the third Wednesday in November “Utilities United Against Scams Day” and a resolution is pending in the U.S. House of Representatives to codify it as an annual national observance, Beaver said.
Utility collection fraud has been going on across the U.S. for a few years and JEA has been independently tracking scam reports from customers.
In the past two years, about 1,000 scam calls have been reported locally. That probably doesn’t represent the true extent of the problem, since many people who are contacted don’t think about reporting it, Beaver said.
The current increase in activity has led to about 10 customers per day calling JEA to report a fraudulent collection attempt and lately, it’s been commercial accounts.
The best defense is to be aware of your account status and to understand that JEA does not call customers to demand payment, said spokeswoman Gerri Boyce.
If customers don’t pay their bill before the due date, a second month’s charge appears on their next bill with a warning of possible disconnection.
If the bill still is not paid, JEA may deliver a recorded message delivered by telephone warning customers of the disconnection date, she said.
The scammer makes a personal call with a threat to pay the bill immediately or service will be disconnected.
“They prey on fear and they usually call businesses during busy times — like a restaurant just before lunch,” said Boyce. “Our customers need to know that JEA will never call and ask for payment with a prepaid card.”
She said customers should use their typical payment method, whether online, calling JEA or in person at the main office Downtown or a satellite payment location.
Walgreen’s and CVS drug stores, two of the major vendors of prepaid cards, have partnered with JEA to provide an additional layer of security for customers.
In addition to signs in stores making people aware of utility bill scams, Beaver said employees are trained to ask people buying prepaid cards in large amounts if they are purchasing the cards to pay their utility bill.
If you are the target of a collection scam, you should contact JEA immediately. The utility works with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and federal authorities to investigate complaints, Beaver said.
The awareness campaign next week will include postcards, content on JEA.com and notifications through the utility’s social media outlets.
Boyce said there also will be a limited number of outbound calls to some customers.
“But we won’t be asking you for a payment — it will just be a warning about the scam,” she said.
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