Business customers of Salt River Project continue to be subjected to a phone scam where the caller fraudulently demands money for an electricity payment. SRP customer service representatives have received numerous phone calls from concerned customers, primarily those who operate restaurants, convenience stores or markets. However, the scam artists last week increased their activity on Valentine’s Day when they targeted floral shops on one of the busiest days of their year.
The pattern is similar in most cases. The imposters try to convince customers that their power is in danger of being cut off, sometimes during their busiest time of the day, and that only an immediate credit card or debit card payment can avoid disconnection of service. Some customers are instructed to go to a nearby convenience store where they can buy a prepaid card, load it with money and call back with a card number so funds can be withdrawn immediately.
“Many customers call SRP to confirm whether their electricity bill is due and avoid paying scam artists, however some customers may not understand that SRP does not call to demand payments and are not so fortunate,” said Renee Castillo, senior director of SRP Customer Services.
To avoid becoming a victim of these scams, Castillo urges customers to:
· Never give your credit or debit card number or other personal information to any caller or visitor without knowing their true identity.
· When any concern arises, immediately contact the account manager listed on the top portion of the SRP bill statement or the SRP Business Contact Center at (602) 236-8833.
· Residential customers can call SRP at (602) 236-8888 for accurate information about their electric account, program information or to confirm SRP employee identification.
· Contact the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 and local police if they receive a similar call from a scam artist.
A reminder to all business and residential customers:
· SRP will send out a delinquent reminder bill if the account becomes eligible for disconnection.
· SRP recommends signing up for MyAccount to view and manage accounts online at any time on www.srpnet.com.
