KCP&L warns customers about bill collection phone scams

KCP&L is warning customers to beware of an increase in phone scams involving utility bills.

The company said callers are fraudulently posing as KCP&L employees demanding immediate collection on alleged past-due bills. The scammers sometimes are able to “manipulate the caller ID to look like KCP&L’s actual call center number,” it said Thursday.

The utility warns customers against purchasing a money gram to pay the alleged bill. It also warns against falling prey to a callback number and recording that appear legitimate but are not.

“The callback number the scammers provide is not the KCP&L number,” KCP&L emphasized.

“The reality is that scammers continue to have a negative effect on our communities and businesses,” said Steven Glenn, KCP&L’s manager of revenue protection. “By being proactive with our customers and sharing information with them and our neighboring utilities, we hope to stay out in front of the newer scams and help minimize the effects that they are having on our customers.”

KCP&L said it is working with United Utilities Against Scams to try to shut down fraudulent numbers, so it encourages customers to obtain and report the scammer’s requested callback number.

The utility reminds customers to never provide personal or banking information over the phone and asks customers with any doubts to contact the KCP&L Customer Contact Center at (888) 471-5275 or (816) 471-5275.

The company reiterates: “Never give credit card, debit card, Social Security, ATM, checking or savings account numbers to anyone who comes to your home, calls, text and/or sends an email requesting this information in respect to your utility bill without verifying legitimacy with KCP&L’s Customer Contact Center.”

Also, customers using KCP&L’s online bill pay system should always make online payments directly through kcpl.com.

Customers who fear they’ve been victimized by this scam may go to www.kcpl.com/scamalert for more information.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 11:38 AM with the headline "KCP&L warns customers about bill collection phone scams."