Full Notification

DUKE ENERGY BILL SCAM ALERT
The Alexandria Police Department has received complaints from local businesses about a phone scam regarding their “past due” Duke Energy bill. The caller advises they are from or a representative of Duke Energy. The victim is told their account is overdue and may be instructed to purchase a pre-paid debit card or to put money on a Green Dot card, after which a phone number that sounds like a Duke Energy line is given for the victim to call back with the Green Dot number. Duke Energy officials said they do not use that method to deal with overdue payments. Customers who are contacted about the scam are asked to call police at 859-292-3622 and Duke Energy 1-800-777-9898.
Duke has issued the following tips to customers to help protect them from scams:
• At no time should anyone from Duke Energy offer to pay a customer's bill in exchange for a fee. The only time a convenience fee is charged is when a payment is made using Duke Energy's automated phone system and one-time payment through the website. Do not accept any offer from an individual who claims to be a Duke Energy employee who can pay a customer's total bill or provide any other service for a fee.
• Anyone with a question about whether someone is a legitimate representative of Duke Energy can contact Duke at 1-800-544-6900 to verify the person's identity.
• Duke Energy bill payments are accepted online through its Online Services program, by mail, by phone, or by pay agent locations.
• Occasionally, Duke Energy MAY call you to discuss your account. If we do, we will provide you with information that only you and Duke Energy would know in order to validate that our call is legitimate. If, after receiving the information, you are uncomfortable providing personal information by phone, or if you believe the call is a scam, hang up and call the company directly at 800.777.9898.