CLARKSVILLE, TN (July 11, 2012) – The Clarksville Department of Electricity(CDE) has learned of a bill payment scam targeting utilities nationwide.
Scammers are informing customers that a third party, in most cases the Federal Government, will pay their utility bill in exchange for personal information such as Social Security numbers and personal banking information. Customers are then provided invalid bank account information they can use to transmit payment to their utility. The account is recognized as invalid and the funds are returned.
While customers may have received information by word of mouth, social media or the Internet instead of the scammers themselves, CDE urges customers against the use of bank account information that is not their own. Unauthorized use of bank account information is illegal and any payment applied to utility bills will be reversed.
It is not the practice of CDE to solicit personal information by telephone or Internet unless the customer initiates the contact, or to make threats to disconnect service if a customer does not take the immediate action of providing personal information.
If you ever question the validity of a solicitor claiming to be associated with CDE, please call us at 931-648-8151.