CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy
Carolinas customers who paid a bill at one of the company's 550
authorized walk-in payment processing centers between 2008 and 2017
may be affected by a potential compromise of personally
identifiable information, according to PayPal Holdings, who
recently acquired TIO Networks, which is the company who owns the
network used to process payments made at those locations.
TIO Networks will begin notifying anyone whose information they
believe may be included in the potential compromise, including
approximately 374,000 Duke Energy Carolinas customers, who may be
affected. The letter will come directly from TIO Networks and will
include detailed questions and answers and a phone number for
additional information.
"This TIO Networks issue has possibly and unfortunately affected
some of our customers, and we are doing all we can to help," said
Lesley Quick, Duke Energy's vice
president of revenue services. "We have remained in daily contact
with our vendor since they abruptly and unexpectedly disabled their
network on Nov. 10 for suspected
"security vulnerabilities."
This issue only affects customers who paid by check or cash at
an authorized walk-in payment processing center, and not customers
who paid via credit card or another form of payment. The personally
identifiable information that may have been compromised includes,
name, address, Duke Energy account number and balance, and banking
information, if a customer paid by check.
"We regret the frustration and inconvenience this issue has
created for our customers who rely on our authorized walk-in
locations to pay their monthly energy bills," said Quick. "We are
doing all we can on behalf of our customers to ensure they receive
timely information and action from TIO Networks."
Duke Energy Carolinas customers can continue to make payments in
person at any Western Union location -- an agreement that Duke
Energy established shortly after TIO Networks suspended the payment
system -- or can pay by check, debit or credit card online at
www.duke-energy.com or by calling 800-777-9898, select option 2 for
"billing and payments," then option 1 to make a payment.
Customers who believe they may be impacted or have questions
should visit http://tionetworks.com/ for more information.
Duke Energy
Headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding
companies in the United States.
Its Electric Utilities and Infrastructure business unit serves
approximately 7.5 million customers located in six states in the
Southeast and Midwest. The company's Gas Utilities and
Infrastructure business unit distributes natural gas to
approximately 1.6 million customers in the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Its Commercial Renewables business
unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across
the United States.
Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the
company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for
journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and
videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online
destination for stories about people, innovations, and community
and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and
insights into the future of energy.
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Facebook.
Contact: Paige Layne
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy