News Releases

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company are alerting customers of a recent telephone scam, asking customers to pay their bills over the phone.

The caller claims to be a utility employee and asks for immediate bill payment by credit card or prepaid money card. If the targeted customer does not cooperate, the caller threatens to disconnect the person's electric or natural gas service.

LG&E and KU have alerted authorities and offer the following SAFE advice to residential and business customers:

• Secure your personal information: LG&E and KU will never call and ask for credit or debit card numbers or other personal information.
• Always remember you have bill payment options: LG&E and KU offer customers a variety of official payment options. A complete list can be found at www.lge-ku.com/ways_to_pay.asp.
• First check with LG&E and KU if you're suspicious: Customers who receive a suspicious live phone call, an email or letter should call LG&E and KU who will always verify official communications. LG&E customers should call 502-589-1444 (outside Louisville at 1-800-331-7370); KU customers should call 1-800-981-0600.
• Elect to speak to an LG&E and KU representative: As a courtesy, LG&E and KU do make computer-generated calls to remind customers if their payment is late, and the call includes an option for customers to select if they want to make their payment by phone.
   

Customers who have been impacted by this scam should report it to their local police department.

Although the latest scam targets customers by phone, LG&E and KU encourage customers to always obtain positive identification in the event someone appears at their door stating they are there on the companies' behalf.

Authentic LG&E and KU ID badges — whether issued to an employee or a contractor — show the companies' logos. An employee ID card always has the employee's name and color photograph on the front as well.

Sometimes there are legitimate service-related reasons the utilities may need access to a customer's home, but in-person contact at a customer's home never involves collecting payment for a monthly bill.



Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve a total of 1.2 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 321,000 natural gas and 397,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. Kentucky Utilities serves 546,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.