AEP Warns of Utility Scams

ZANESVILLE, OH – AEP is warning customers to beware of holiday utility scams.

Checobia Crawford, a Customer Service Account Representative with AEP, detailed some of the most common holiday scams.

“Some of the common utility scams that we’re seeing as we move into the holidays are scammers asking for customer’s personal identification,” Crawford said. “That could be an account number, or any personal identifying information like a social security number.”

Crawford said another common scam is a scammer will call and threaten to shut the power off if they don’t receive payment immediately. The scammers could also call and demand that a customer gets a new meter right away

“The scammers are trying to create a sense of urgency to distract the customers,” Crawford said. “This is going to distract the customers from their everyday life.”

Around the holiday season scammers tend to target the most vulnerable like small businesses and the elderly. AEP is urging everyone to be on the watch for utility scams this year.

If you or someone you know has fallen victim to an AEP utility scam you can report it to aepohio.com\scams.