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Electric utilities

Utility Scam Awareness Day: Protecting Arizona Customers from Scammers

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Arizona Public Service, in collaboration with other major utilities, is leading an advocacy and awareness campaign to combat utility scams, which have surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign, Utility Scam Awareness Day, aims to educate customers and expose high-pressure tactics used by scammers. These impostor scams often target vulnerable individuals, demanding payment or personal information with threats of disconnection.

Key Takeaways:

  • Arizona utilities never require payment via a prepaid debit card, gift card, or form of cryptocurrency.
  • Scammers typically use phone, in-person, and online tactics to target people, especially those experiencing hardship.
  • Common signs of a scam include threats to disconnect service, demand for immediate payment, and requests for prepaid cards.
  • To protect yourself, never purchase a prepaid card, hang up on disconnection threats, and call your utility to verify the authenticity of any communication.
  • Always use the correct phone number of your utility, found on your bill or the company's official website, and protect your personal information.
  • Arizona customers can find more information about impostor utility scams and safety tips at utilitiesunited.org.
  • Arizona utilities, including APS, SRP, Southwest Gas, TEP, and UniSource, offer customer support programs and flexible payment options for customers in need of assistance.

Statistics:

  • APS serves nearly 1.3 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona's 15 counties.
  • SRP serves more than 1 million customers in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.
  • Southwest Gas provides safe, affordable, and clean natural gas service to over two million customers in Arizona, California, and Nevada.
  • TEP serves more than 432,000 electric customers in Southern Arizona.
  • UniSource provides natural gas and electric service to about 256,000 customers in Northern and Southern Arizona.

Sources:

  • Arizona Public Service
  • Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS)
  • Salt River Project (SRP)
  • Southwest Gas Corporation
  • Tucson Electric Power (TEP)
  • UniSource Energy Services
  • Fortis Inc.

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