By Nebraska Public Power District
Columbus, Neb. - Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) is asking power customers around the state to be wary of scammers demanding payment or your power will be disconnected. These predatory individuals will call and state the customer’s bill must be paid immediately or the power will be shut off and will recommend several methods of payment. Sometimes the scammer’s caller-identification is falsified so it appears to originate from the utility company, a practice known as ‘spoofing’.
“Scammers continue to be creative and are always looking for an opportunity to take advantage of others,” says NPPD Retail General Manager Pat Hanrahan.
Keep the following in mind when answering phone calls and always be wary of such scams. NPPD offers the following tips and suggestions:
· We DO NOT ask for payment over the phone.
· We DO NOT ask customers for credit card numbers or demand payment with a pre-paid card.
· We DO NOT go door-to-door demanding payment.
· We DO NOT accept nor request payment from Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or Apple Pay. View our payment methods to make paying your bill simple, secure, and convenient >> https://nppd.com/accounts-billing/ways-to-pay. If you receive an urgent call requiring immediate action to prevent disconnect of your electric service, hang up the phone and call our Customer Service Specialists at 1-877-ASK-NPPD (275-6773). You can also find information concerning scam calls at https://www.nppd.com/accounts-billing/scams.