Duke Progress: We will never call customers about cut-offs

Posted
Duke Progress Energy is reminding its customers Wednesday morning that employees will never call asking for payments of late bills to prepaid cards, or threaten to cut-off electricity due to refusal to do so. An incident Monday in Florence led the company to tell WBTW that scammers use the phone, email and even in-person visits to siphon money from victims. The latest is Jeanne's Mart and Grill, whose owner was called Monday and told she needed to pay $1,500 on prepaid cards or her lights would be cut off in 30 to 45 minutes. The woman complied and paid roughly two months' worth of electric bills by putting the funds on prepaid reloaded credit cards. She later checked her bank statements and found she'd paid the bill in February and March. The company partnered with fellow companies in November to bring awareness to the issue. Duke Progress Energy said it will never ask for payments on prepaid cards, and the company doesn't give customers this type of short notice. They advice customers to never confirm or give out any information, and to call 911 if they think it's a scam.