ATLANTA, July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power
has received reports of a new scam in which criminals sell Federal
Reserve Bank routing numbers to customers with instructions to use
the routing numbers to pay utility and other bills from nonexistent
accounts. According to a news release from the Federal Reserve Bank
of Atlanta: Federal Reserve
routing numbers are used for sorting and processing payments
between banks. Any video, text, email, phone call, flyer, or
website that describes how to pay bills using a Federal Reserve
Bank routing number or using an account at the Federal Reserve Bank
is a scam.
While Georgia Power's system may initially accept a Federal
Reserve Bank routing number to process a payment, the payment will
eventually be rejected and the customer's account could be subject
to additional late fees or possibly disconnection.
Other reminders from Georgia Power to help avoid common scams
and fraud:
- Georgia Power will never ask for a credit card or pre-paid
debit card number over the phone.
- Employees are not sent into the field to collect payment in
person and will not ask a customer to pay anywhere other than a
business office or Authorized Payment Location.
- Delete all emails that demand immediate payment or personal
information or that are from a company that is not Georgia
Power.
- If a customer receives a suspicious call from someone claiming
to be from Georgia Power and demanding payment to avoid
disconnection, they should contact the company's 24-hour customer
service line at 888-660-5890.
Georgia Power continues to work with law enforcement agencies
throughout the state to identify and prosecute criminals who pose
as Georgia Power employees in order to defraud customers. The
company encourages customers to report scams and fraud attempts to
local law enforcement and to the Federal Trade Commission at
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/. Additional information
about frequent scams and how the company works to protect customers
is available at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Scam.
About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the
largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO),
America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer
Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's
promise to 2.5 million customers in all but four
of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean,
safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national
average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation
mix that includes nuclear, 21st century coal and natural gas, as
well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia
Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers
every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power
and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For
more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect
with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter
(Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram
(Instagram.com/ga_power).
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SOURCE Georgia Power