CARMEL — Carmel resident Bob Hall has called Hamilton County home for the last 25 years. On Sunday, he got a call from a number that he didn’t recognize.
"They had my name, my address, the amount I owed and my phone number," Hall told WRTV.
The caller claimed that they were from Duke Energy and said Hall needed to pay his bill immediately or that they were going to shut his energy off.
“I called Duke and got the automated bill and they told me my bill wasn’t due until the 18th of October, so I knew that it was a scam, cause how can I get my power shut off when I'm paid up?” Hall said.
The scammer said Hall owed over $200, which was accurate. Hall tells WRTV he pays all of his bills on time and when he questioned the person on the other end of the line, they hung up.
The most recent numbers from Duke Energy show that scams happen more often than people may realize.
"Customers are becoming more aware of scammers take advantage during times of crisis. We saw an uptick in attempts during the pandemic," Angeline Protogere with Duke Energy said.
In Indiana, more than 2,200 scams were reported to Duke Energy in 2021 and 90 people, or 4.1% of people were deceived by the scammer. Duke says about $38,000 was paid to scammers during that time period.
"If a customer is at risk for disconnection, they are going to get multiple notices from us and again we would never call them and threaten to disconnect them within 30 minutes," Protogere said. "We would never tell a customer to get a prepaid debit card."
MORE: Information on assistance from Duke Energy
Hall has this message to Hoosiers to make sure they don't become the victim of a scam.
"Don’t just automatically give them your credit card number – hang up," Hall said.
You can report fraud and scams directly to Duke Energy online.
On Monday, the Indiana Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) opened applications. Hoosiers can get help paying energy and water bills. For more information and to apply, click here.
-
Man charged with allegedly killing two in Thanksgiving house fire
An 18-year-old Indianapolis man has been charged with shooting and killing his father and his father's girlfriend before setting their house on fire on Thanksgiving Day.
Community divided over potential redevelopment plans at Glendale Town Center
Community members in the Glendale neighborhood are divided over a new redevelopment plan that would bring hundreds of apartment units to the area, but would also demolish a beloved community staple.
Vop Osili will not seek re-election for City-County Council President
Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili will not seek re-election at the end of his term, he announced on Tuesday.
Indy Ignite hosts free event Dec. 12 celebrating mascot Pepper's first birthday
Indy Ignite, Indianapolis's first professional women's volleyball team, have announced they will be hosting a free event at Fishers Event Center on Dec. 12!
