Monday, July 11, 2016

KCP&L Warns Customers of Phone Scam

KCP&L wants to warn all customers of a new scam. Multiple reports of phone scams involving customers’ utility bills and personal information are coming in to KCP&L. Most of those targeted are restaurants and small businesses, but all customers should be aware of this important notice.
 
With the phone scam, customers are prompted by a recording to input their payment information. This phone number is not associated with KCP&L. There have also been reports of a live person posing as a KCP&L employee who notifies the customer of a past due bill and demands immediate payment to avoid service disconnection. In some instances, the caller requests that the customer purchase a money gram to pay their bill. If the customer is unable to make an immediate payment or does not answer, the caller gives out a return phone number for customers to call back.

If customers ever have questions about the legitimacy of a bill, phone call or email regarding their utility bill, they should refrain from providing any personal or banking information, hang up and contact theKCP&L Customer Contact Center at (888) 471-5275 or (816) 471-5275.

Here are some other important safety tips to keep in mind.
  • 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 also verifying that person is with KCP&L by either asking to see company identification or by calling KCP&L’s Customer Contact Center.
  • Be suspicious if you receive an email regarding your utility bill if you have not requested online communications from KCP&L.
  • For customers using KCP&L’s online bill pay system, always make online payments directly through kcpl.com.
  • Never provide personal information via email or click any suspicious links.
     
If you feel you have been a victim of this scam, please work with your local law enforcement agency to report the crime. For more information, visit www.kcpl.com/scamalert.

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