With the holidays around the corner, so are the amount of scammers that present themselves for different companies.
NIPSCO released on Tuesday that calls posing as employees from the company continue to rise, which they say is an issue “impacting many energy companies around the United States.” Recent and common reports from customers are that calls and texts are coming from the company demanding payment to avoid service disconnection.
NIPSCO says if customers receive a suspicious call, hang up and call the company’s customer care center and report the call and double-check on the status of their account.
NIPSCO also passed along these tips in a press release:
Tips for customers to avoid potential scams
– Call us first – If you are unsure about a phone call, email, program, offer or person claiming to be affiliated with NIPSCO, please call our 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-464-7726.
– Guard your personal information – Never give personal information, including your NIPSCO account number, social security number and/or banking information to unconfirmed sources. We only ask for a social security number when establishing new service or verifying a customer’s identity.
– Know your payment options – We will never ask for a pre-paid debit card or money gram as a payment method. To more easily spot a potential scam, learn more about our payment
options at NIPSCO.com/billing-payment-options.
– Never agree to meet in person – Some scammers ask customers to meet them in person to make payments with cash or prepaid cards, which you should avoid.
What to do if someone visits your home or business
– Ask to see ID – Our employees and contractors carry photo ID badges and will gladly show you upon request.
– Use caution with cash – Our employees do not collect cash payments nor deliver cash
refunds or rebates to customers. Refrain from sending cash through the mail to prevent loss or theft.
For more information on authorized, secure payment methods and locations, visit:
nipsco.com/billingpayment.
