The season of holiday giving and cheer is around the corner; unfortunately, it’s also the season for increased scam activity. Those who make their living by stealing from others go into overdrive each November and December. We urge customers to protect themselves by enrolling in our free SCAMALERT program today.
Kissimmee Utility Authority has developed a new text-based, real-time, scam alert program, SCAMALERT, to alert customers about active scams targeting KUA customers.
Customers can opt into this no-cost voluntary program by texting SCAMALERT to 877-582-7700. The phone number from which the customer sends the text message must be registered to their KUA account.
Enrolling in this program will give KUA’s residential and commercial customers another way to defend themselves from those trying to trick them.
When KUA receives information about a local scam targeting customers, it will proactively send a text to those customers who have opted into the program. The text informs the customer that an active scam is occurring and recommends they visit www.kua.com/scamalert to learn more about the scam.
The kua.com/scamalert webpage provides customers with specific details about the current scam, such as the date it was reported, the scammer’s claim, the scammer’s instructions, and any associated images or screenshots that may be related to that specific scam.
Additionally, customers can also use kua.com/scamalert to report a scam and learn more about past scams.
Scammers have become increasingly tech-savvy, often using phone-spoofing technology to make it appear as though they are calling from KUA. Sometimes they knock on customers’ doors and say they work for KUA.
If that happens to you, or if you ever have any questions about the status of your account, call KUA immediately at 407-933-9800.
KUA would never visit a customer to collect an overdue bill or disconnect their power.
Signs of a Scam
- Typically, a scammer will say that a customer’s account is overdue and that power will be shut off if a large payment is not made quickly.
- The crook then tells the customer to buy a prepaid debit card-widely available at retail stores, or ask them to pay immediately via Zelle, CashApp, or another mobile payment app.
- If a customer provides a caller with a prepaid debit card’s number, the crook will have instant access to the card’s funds. Customers have no way to recover those funds.
The SCAMALERT text program is another way KUA is equipping customers to protect themselves from scams, in addition to in-person workshops on utility scams and radio, newspaper, and social media awareness.
Let’s stop scammers together!