Evergy warns of uptick in scammers using new tactics. How to avoid getting ripped off
Utility giant Evergy is warning its customers to be wary of an increase in scammers pretending to be the company.
Evergy said that in addition to making calls, scammers are using paid or sponsored search capabilities to have counterfeit phone numbers displayed when you search for “Evergy” online.
That means that customers not only need to be skeptical of who is calling them and posing as the electric company, but also where they’re finding contact information for the company.
If you recently received a scam call, you can report it at www.evergy.com/reportscam. You must provide your account or primary phone number to complete the form.
If you think you’ve been the victim of a scam, Evergy advises customers to contact law enforcement.
Here are a few things to look out for according to Evergy:
Threat to disconnect. Evergy said that scammers threaten customers with disconnecting their service within the hour if they don’t pay their bill. Evergy said that calls from their service requesting payment are never made on the same day that your service is disconnected.
Request for immediate payment. Scammers may tell customers to buy a prepaid card, then call them back to pay their bill. When the customer calls back, the scammer asks for the pre-paid card number, which grants the scammer immediate access to the money on the card. Scammers may also instruct customers to send payment over a money app. Evergy said they will never ask customers to buy pre-paid debit cards or use money apps.
Evergy said customers should follow these tips to avoid a scam:
Verify that you’re talking to a person who works for Evergy. You can do this by asking to see company identification or calling the contact center directly. Do not give financial information to someone if you can’t verify their employment.
Be aware if you get an email or text about your utility bill, especially if you have yet to request online communications from Evergy.
For customers using Evergy’s online bill pay system, make online payments through www.evergy.com. Check the web address before making an online payment.
Never provide personal or financial information by email.
Don’t click any suspicious links.
Look for employees driving an Evergy vehicle or wearing Evergy-branded clothing for a service appointment. These employees also carry Evergy identification.
Evergy Missouri West, Evergy Missouri Metro and Evergy Kansas Metro customers can reach customer service toll-free by calling 1-888-471-5275. Evergy Kansas Central customers can call 1-800-383-1183.
Customers can also review their account status online by visiting www.evergy.com.
This story was originally published April 12, 2023 at 3:20 PM.
