Vectren is warning customers of a multi-state bill payment scam involving requests for personal information and mentions of a federal program that provides funds for utility payments. A number of customers have reported a scam in which they are told that President Obama has authorized a new federal program that will pay utility bills.
Customers have been targeted in person, by phone, fliers, social media and text messages with claims that the federal government and President Obama are providing credits and applying payments to utility bills. To accept the assistance, customers are then asked to provide social security, credit card and bank routing numbers. As confirmation, customers are given fraudulent bank account numbers that they are told to use when paying their utility bills, leading some to believe they have paid their bills when in actuality they have not, and their personal information has been harvested.
Vectren reminds customers that providing personal information such as social security and bank numbers to anyone contacting them by phone or in person can be dangerous. This type of information should never be disclosed to anyone unless the customer is confident with whom they are speaking. If at any time customers are contacted by phone or in person from anyone claiming to represent Vectren and asking for personal or payment information, they should immediately call Vectren’s customer service center at 1-800-227-1376 to verify the legitimacy of the request.
For more information about this scam, visit the Better Business Bureau website at www.bbb.org/blog/2012/05/scam-alert-president-obama-wont-pay-your-utility-bill. To report a scam, visit www.bbb.org/scam.
Business
Beware Vectren bill payment scam
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