ATLANTA, May 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- May is National
Older Americans Month and to celebrate, Atlanta Gas Light is
reminding its customers about the company's Senior Citizen
Discount.
"Every family deserves reliable energy at a price they can
afford," said Bryan Batson,
president of Atlanta Gas Light. "For many older Georgians on a
fixed income, the Senior Citizen Discount can offer some relief on
the Atlanta Gas Light base charge."
Customers 65 years of age or older and who have a total annual
combined household income of $24,980
or less are eligible for up to a $14
monthly discount on their base charge. Natural gas service must be
in the senior customer's name to be eligible. To apply, seniors
should complete and mail in the application found on
atlantagaslight.com.
In addition, Atlanta Gas Light is cautioning seniors about scam
tactics. Although there are several, a common tactic involves a
customer receiving an unsolicited phone call from 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 tactics include scammers duplicating 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
seniors against scammers:
Red flags for scam activity
- The individual becomes angry and tells the customer his or her
account is past due, and service will be disconnected if a large
payment isn't made – usually within less than an hour.
- The individual instructs the customer to purchase a pre-paid
debit or credit card – widely available at retail stores – then
call him or her back to supposedly make a payment to the
company.
- The individual asks the customer for the prepaid card's receipt
number and PIN number, which grants instant access to the card's
funds.
How to protect yourself
- Whenever a field service representative or one of our
contractors visits your home or business, they will provide proper
identification. If you have further concerns, please contact
customer care at 1-800-427-5463 to confirm that a representative
has been scheduled to perform work at your premises.
- Atlanta Gas Light will never call customers regarding their
natural gas bill. While we maintain the pipeline infrastructure,
respond to emergencies and read meters every month, we do not bill
customers directly. Certified marketers sell natural gas to
customers served by Atlanta Gas Light and bill their customers for
usage directly.
- If you want to verify that the call is legitimate, request to
have the representative confirm information about your account that
only you and your marketer would know, including the date of your
last payment, the amount of your last payment and your account
number.
- Any customer who has doubts about the legitimacy of any call
from Atlanta Gas Light should call us directly.
Any customer who suspects or experiences fraud or feels
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
.atlantagaslight.com/safety.
About Atlanta Gas Light
Atlanta Gas Light is one of
four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a
wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Atlanta Gas
Light provides natural gas delivery service to more than 1.6
million customers in Georgia. In
operation since 1856, the company is one of the oldest corporations
in the state. For more information, visit atlantagaslight.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 685,000 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 southerncompanygas.com.
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SOURCE Atlanta Gas Light