We are hearing more reports of scammers contacting Xcel Energy customers seeking payment over the phone. These are similar to past scams where an impersonator is able to “spoof” an Xcel Energy phone number so it appears the call is coming from us. They tell customers their power is about to be disconnected if a payment isn’t made over the phone to cover a past due balance. Red flags to watch for are:
- The caller provides the customer a call-back number that is not a published Xcel Energy customer support phone number
- The caller demands payment be made with a prepaid debit card, or doesn’t provide options for payment
Customers who are behind on their bills will receive a disconnect notice in the mail before any attempt is made to reach them by phone. And we provide multiple ways for customers to make payment. Customers who receive these suspicious calls should hang up and contact us to verify their account status at either of these two numbers:
Residential customers – 1-800-895-4999
Business customers – 1-800-481-4700
More information on detecting and avoiding scams can be found at this site at xcelenergy.com.
(News release from Xcel Energy)