Beware of APS/TEP Scam Calls!
We here at Geeks 2 You are always on the lookout for new scams and situations where unscrupulous individuals may be trying to take advantage of you, our customers. So when one of our technicians received an odd call from someone claiming to be Tucson Electric Power, we looked into it immediately.
It seems that a foreign call center has somehow gained to ability to either spoof Arizona Electric Power (APS) or TEP’s phone number or mask their caller ID so they appear to be the utility company. These individuals have been calling clients in the greater Tucson and Phoenix area’s, threatening to cut off power and demanding immediate payment over the phone.
DO NOT GIVE YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER OVER THE PHONE TO APS/TEP UNLESS YOU CALL THEM.
If you get similar calls claiming to be from Microsoft Support, Google, your computer manufacturer, your phone company, etc., the same rules apply. This is just another permutation of the same old phone scams these individuals and others like them have been running for years. Keep your wits about you, don’t let their threats rattle you, and remember: you can always just hang up.
TWO IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:
- APS/TEP will not call you and demand payment over the phone. They may call you to inform you that your bills are past due, but they will only do that after they have notified you by mail, and they will never ask you for your credit card over the phone.
- Under no circumstances should you EVER give your credit card out to someone who calls you out of the blue and claims to be from a major company. If there is any question about payment, simply hang up on them, find the number of the company they were impersonating, and call that company to inquire about your account and inform them that they’re being impersonated.
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