Scams are certainly not unique to Indiana Michigan Power Company, but the utility is warning that the scams haven’t gone away either during the pandemic or even during the current holiday season. I&M says today that scams have been reported across the U.S. targeting various utility customers and companies. They say that some scam calls and scam emails have been reported to their corporate offices.
The scams often vary, but frequently work like this:
- Customers receive calls or emails from scammers falsely identifying themselves as I&M employees.
- The scammer claims the customer is late paying their bill, and their power will be disconnected if the customer does not pay immediately.
- Many scammers “spoof” the telephone number to appear as a different number. In some cases, it may appear to be an authentic I&M phone number.
- Customers are usually instructed to call a different number to arrange payment.
- The scammers may seek account information or personal credit card and banking information from customers. Some direct unsuspecting customers to buy a debit card and provide the debit card number to them.
I&M employees NEVER call customers demanding immediate payment. I&M does NOT disconnect service without prior written warning. Anyone receiving such calls should hang up and call I&M’s Customer Operations Center at 800-311-4634 to report the scam.
For assistance on paying a bill, Indiana customers can contact I&M at 800-311-4634; Michigan customers should call 800-311-6424. They also encourage customers to follow along on Facebook (facebook.com/indianamichiganpower) and Twitter (@IN_MI_Power) where they can speak directly with customer service specialists on those platforms.
