NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Nov. 14, 2018 – We hold ourselves accountable to the customers and communities we serve first and foremost. That’s why Nicor Gas is joining other U.S. and Canadian companies to protect natural gas customers against utility scams.
The Utilities United Against Scams consortium has designated Nov. 14 as Utility Scam Awareness Day. This initiative supports a weeklong campaign designed to expose the tactics scammers use to steal money from customers and provide advice on how they can protect themselves.
Although there are several scam tactics, a common one involves unsolicited phone calls to customers by an individual who falsely claims to be a company representative. The scammer warns that the company will disconnect the customer’s natural gas service if a payment is not made within a short timeframe.
Other common tactics include impostor utility scams that duplicate a company’s upfront Interactive Voice Response system, so when customers call back phone numbers provided by the scammer, it appears to be legitimate. Some of these scammers also use caller ID spoofing to replicate a company’s customer service number.
Below are additional tips to help identify and protect against scammers:
Customers who suspect or experience fraud or feel threatened during contact with an individual posing as a company representative, should contact local authorities, and then the customer care center phone number listed on their bill.
For information about natural gas safety, visit www.nicorgas.com/safety/.
About Nicor Gas
Nicor Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Nicor Gas serves more than 2.2 million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. For more information, visit www.nicorgas.com.
About Southern Company Gas
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.2 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with 774,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas and related home services. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines, asset management for natural gas wholesale customers and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit Southern Company Gas at southerncompanygas.com.
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Media Contact:
Jennifer Golz
o: 630.388.3737 | c: 331.222.8716 | jgolz@southernco.com