APS serves approximately 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering affordable, clean and reliable energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’s current energy mix is 51% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp.
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APS Warns Customers of New Scam Trend
PHOENIX – It’s National Consumer Protection Week and Arizona Public Service (APS) wants to remind customers to watch out for utility scams where fraudsters call, text, email, or even show up at homes pretending to be from APS or another utility company to steal your money or identity. Recently, scammers have gone so far as to create fake payment webpages, that look remarkably like a real utility’s webpage, to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers.
APS is a member of Utilities United Against Scams, a group of more than 150 utilities committed to educating and raising awareness about scams.
Scammer Tactics:
Threaten to shut off power: Scammers will claim your bill is past due and your service will be shut off unless payment is made immediately. APS will provide multiple notices and will never demand immediate payment that must be made over the phone or paid with gift or with debit cards. APS offers a variety of programs to support customers who need assistance paying their bills.
Spoofing: Scammers often spoof their phone number to make it look like they are calling from your service provider. Customers should never call back the number given, and instead, call APS directly from a phone number found on aps.com or on your bill.
Solar Scams: APS does not sell or lease solar systems and is currently not in partnership with any solar installers to offer special deals. There have been reports of companies who claim to be part of APS when selling rooftop solar, so be wary if someone claims they are working with, or for, APS. APS customers can learn about how to go solar at aps.com/solar.
Digital Scams: Not all scams take place over the phone or from a knock on your front door. As consumers have relied more on digital devices for day-to-day activities, so have scammers.
Here are some of the digital ways scammers may contact you:
- Sponsored ads on search engines that lead to an identical, but fake, utility bill payment page.
- QR Codes that scammers link to a false utility payment page.
- Texts from a scammer claiming to be a utility representative, with a link to an impostor website.
Protect Yourself
If someone is threatening to immediately shut off your power, hang up the phone, delete the email or shut the door and contact APS directly to discuss your account. APS Customer Experience Center representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (602) 371-7171 (metro Phoenix) or (800) 253-9405 (other areas).
Customers with past due accounts will receive multiple notifications such as a bill message, an automated phone message and/or door hanger. APS will never send a single notification with a one-hour notice until disconnection.
Never purchase prepaid gift cards to avoid service shut-off. APS will not direct you to pay with a specific method.
Don’t ever click a website link sent from someone demanding payment. Always navigate directly to aps.com to pay your bill online.
Additional Resources
If you’re targeted by scammers, please report it to local law enforcement and APS at (602) 371-7171 (metro Phoenix) or (800) 253-9405 (other areas).
Call 911 if you are in immediate physical danger.
You can find additional information at aps.com/scams.
Related stories
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APS Urges Customers to be Vigilant Against Utility Scams
11/17/2020
Arizona utilities unite to protect customers from scams
3/5/2018
APS joins National Consumer Protection Week to alert customers to scams
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