JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's a consumer alert for JEA and Beaches Energy customers, as both utility companies are warning about scam calls.
On Friday, JEA reported a spike in scam phone calls and urged customers to be alert and aware. JEA Business Development Director Deb Beaver said it's routine to deal with complaints from customers who received scam calls. But she said there was a significant increase in complaints on Friday.
"We saw a quick uptick," Beaver said. "We got 40-45 calls this morning and this afternoon."
She said that's just the tip of the iceberg because that doesn't account for the number of people who may have received scam calls but didn't report them.
JEA believes these scams are being orchestrated by someone who is very well organized because JEA and Beaches Energy are not the only utility companies dealing with this problem -- it's happening to utility companies all over the country.
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The calls are all the same. According to the utilities, a voice on the other end tells customers they have an overdue bill and the only way to keep services from being turned off is by calling back and paying the amount owed with a prepaid money card. It’s nothing new. Last month, News4Jax spoke with JEA customer Tatiana Boyaba after she received the same call.
“I was basically told that I’m delinquent. I have a balance due and my electricity is about to be turned off," said Boyaba, who has been a store owner in San Marco for five years.
She said the fake JEA caller wanted her to pay $500. She said it sounded legitimate, but then she realized it was a scam when the caller asked her to call back to make the payment.
According to JEA, three years of collected data on scam calls have revealed a noticeable trend.
"The last three years, we’ve seen an uptick in activity in March, so coincidentally, March is National Consumer Protection Month and it seemed like we were very busy with scam calls during the month of March," Beaver said.
JEA suspects the scam calls are coming from outside the United States and the utility also believes the scammers are incredibly well organized by buying blocks of 1-800 numbers.
"The call centers that perform these outbound calls to scam folks are very much like a call center that would be like our call center," Beaver said. "It’s a business."
According to JEA, the 1-800 number being used for these fraudulent calls has already been reported, and at least two of the numbers have been taken down.
Beaver said based on what she knows so far, no one has actually sent money to the scammers. But she said she worries about elderly people who might receive these calls and think they're talking to a real JEA employee.
JEA reminds customers it will never call to request a credit card to avoid disconnection. Customers who receive one of these calls are urged to notify JEA at 904-665-6000. Commercial customers may call 904-665-6250 to speak with a JEA Business Support Team representative.
Scam callers are also actively targeting Beaches Energy customers, according to the utility. Any customer who receives one of these calls is asked to call Beaches Energy at 904-247-6241 or email customerservice@beachesenergy.com.