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ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Nov. 18, 2019) -- Scammers and fraudsters never stop plying their trade, so it’s important to protect yourself and your personal information.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost nearly $1.5 billion to fraud and scams last year in the U.S. That’s about $4.50 for each resident. Two of the top three FTC reports were for imposter scams and debt collection.

Various scams, including imposter scams, have affected PPL Electric Utilities customers in recent years and the utility continues to see varying levels of scam activity. That’s why PPL is participating in National Scam Awareness Week (Nov. 17-23), and National Scam Awareness Day on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Lori Mueller, vice president of Customer Services for PPL Electric Utilities, said serving customers goes well beyond providing safe, reliable power. “We don’t want any customers to fall victim to a scam. One of the best defenses is practicing good information security,” Mueller said. “With an online account, customers can quickly check their account information and current supplier at any time, from any device.” PPL requires customers to set up a PIN when calling to start service, and a password for their online accounts.

The ability to easily check account balances is especially important for one type of scam in which callers claim the customer has an overdue balance and that they’ll cut off power immediately if they don’t get paid, many times with a prepaid card.

Customers should also know PPL’s main number — 1-800-342-5775 — and call if they have questions about any phone calls, letters and emails or even door-to-door energy supply solicitors.
One tactic of scammers is to spoof PPL’s phone number to make it seem like PPL is calling. When in doubt, call us to be sure. “We encourage customers to be familiar with their account status, but also remember that they can always check with us at any time if something doesn’t seem right,” Mueller said.

PPL Electric Utilities provides electric delivery service to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses in Pennsylvania and ranks among the best utility companies in the country for customer service and reliability. PPL Electric Utilities is a major employer in the communities it serves. It is a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL). For more information visit www.pplelectric.com. 

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