This time of year, scammers tend to put in some overtime because many are tired, distracted or stressed. Tampa Electric says fraudsters are using their name to empty your wallet. And unfortunately, Florida customers are falling for it.
Here’s how the scam goes. You get a phone call from someone at Tampa Electric saying you are behind your your utility bill payment. If you don’t pay up, you risk getting disconnected. As you can imagine, these calls are NOT coming from actual Tampa Electric employees. However, with call spoofing, the phone number might look legitimate. Still Tampa Electric says you should just hang up.
Next, Tampa Electric says you should call 888-223-0800. That’s their real phone number and you can call anytime between 7:30am and 6pm on weekdays to check on your account. Once you’re done with that, call Crime Stoppers at 800-873-TIPS to let them know.
A big red flag should be if they ask you to pay by Zelle or a prepaid debit card from an area drug or convenience store. Tampa Electric says they will NEVER call to ask you for a credit or debit card number.
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