Stay Safe from Scam Attempts: Peoples Shares Warning Signs to Watch For

Peoples employees will never ask you to make payments over the phone or with a prepaid gift card 

Peoples Natural Gas wants to remind our community of common ways criminals pose as utility company representatives to scam customers. Unfortunately, scammers often target utility customers with threats of immediate service termination if the customer does not provide immediate payment or financial information. 

The safety of our customers is our top priority, and Peoples takes many safeguards to protect financial information. Here are important reminders to help recognize and rebut scam attempts: 

• When Peoples initiates contact with a customer, we will not ask you to provide personal information such as a date of birth or bank numbers. If someone claiming to represent Peoples contacts you asking for such details, hang up immediately, then call us at 1-800-764-0111 to report it to our Customer Service Center. 
• Don’t be rushed into making a payment by threats of immediate termination. When a Peoples customer is facing disconnection for nonpayment, we provide multiple termination notices and, in keeping with PUC regulations, work with customers to set up payment arrangements.  
• If you think you may have been contacted by a scammer posing as a utility representative, tell them you want to verify the call is legitimate by hanging up and calling back to the utility yourself. Peoples employees will respect this step, while scammers may get agitated or encourage you to continue the conversation. 
• We will never ask customers to pay with a gift card or prepaid card of any type. 
• All calls from Peoples Customer Service Center will come from an 800 number. 
• Peoples employees are required to carry photo identification when in the community. If you are approached by someone claiming to be a Peoples employee, ask them for identification. Our employees almost always drive company vehicles and will never go door to door asking to see customers’ gas bills. Always remain vigilant, ask to see ID, and don’t hesitate to contact us or law enforcement if you see suspicious behavior in your neighborhood. 

If you experience a suspicious call or home visit from someone claiming to be a Peoples representative, hang up and call us at 1-800-764-0111 to inform our Customer Service Center. We also encourage notifying law enforcement of possible or successful scam attempts. For more safety information, please visit www.peoples-gas.com/safety.