It’s the holiday season and that means some Grinches out there are trying to steal your holiday spirt and swipe your personal and financial information.

Utility scams are on the rise, with an uptick during the holiday season. Scammers have increased their efforts to trick customers. These criminals will often contact you by phone, email, text or even visit your home. Messages from these scammers will sometimes include a threat to immediately disconnect your utility service unless you make immediate payment.

First, keep in mind that OUC will NEVER call to demand immediate payment. We will also never contact customers to pay their bills with pre-paid cards, cryptocurrencies, wire transfers, or by using third-party payment apps like CashApp, Venmo or Zelle. NEVER disclose personal information, your Social Security number, credit card number or banking information to callers, texts or emailed notices.

Utility scammers can be extremely sophisticated and often use strategies that can make customers believe they are not an impostor.

Here are a few common scams to watch out for this holiday season and throughout the year.

Immediate Phone Payment Scam
A scammer may call you on the phone and threaten to turn off your utility service unless you make an immediate payment using a debit or credit card. These calls often utilize “spoofing” technology to make it appear that the call is coming from OUC. Hang up and call OUC immediately at 407-423-9018.

Door-to-Door Scam
Scammers may visit your home demanding a bill payment or selling a service. OUC never sends employees to customers’ homes to collect payments. We also do not conduct door-to-door sales or enter a home unless a customer has requested an appointment, such as a home energy audit.

OUC employees working in the community are easily identified by the OUC-marked vehicles they drive and their apparel displaying an OUC logo. All employees also wear ID badges on their clothing.

If you do not have a scheduled appointment with an OUC technician and if you doubt the identification of the person, close the door and call local law enforcement.

Email Bill-Payment Scam
Scammers often use official-looking emails that may include OUC’s logo or include OUC in the sender’s address field. These emails are designed to trick you into paying fraudulent utility bills. If you receive a suspicious email, do not respond to the email or open any attachments the email may contain. You can also verify the sender’s email address by resting your cursor on the address and click the down arrow to reveal the original sender’s account.

Fake Refunds
Scammers sometimes call a customer claiming to have a refund due to bill overpayment and will ask for banking information to process that payment. OUC will not call you to process a refund over the phone.

Smishing Scam
Scammers have begun using text messages to defraud unwitting targets. The text message may demand you click on or call a number to make a payment, or your electricity or water will be immediately cut off. OUC does not utilize texting to request payment. Ignore the text message and do not click on any links.

Online Ads
In some cases, scammers create ads on search engines like Google or other websites claiming to be from a utility. Clicking on the ad then takes you to a fake payment page. These fake pages are designed to appear to be from OUC but could have strange website addresses that look similar to the official OUC.com address. Do not provide your payment information.

QR Codes
A newer scam involves the use of QR codes. Do not scan QR codes in suspicious emails, websites or elsewhere that claim to link to OUC’s payment page. OUC does not use QR codes for payments.

What to Do If You Suspect a Scam
If you are contacted by a possible scammer, please remember these tips:

  • Don’t panic and react. Scammers typically try to rush customers by threatening loss of service and demanding immediate payment. Pause and evaluate the authenticity of the message and who it is being delivered by.
  • Verify. Scammers often pose as OUC employees. If the scammer is on the phone, make sure they can verify they are an OUC employee by verifying your OUC account information. If the scammer is in person, ask to see their OUC employee badge. You can also call OUC directly to verify the status of your bill or account.
  • Report suspicious activity. If you suspect a scam, call OUC immediately at 407-423-9018. Victims of these scams also can file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General’s Office at MyFloridaLegal.com or by calling 1-866-9NO-SCAM.

Ways to Pay Your OUC Bill

Customers can pay by phone by calling 407-423-9018 any time of day using the OUC account number listed on their bill, pay online at OUC.com, or pay in person at an OUC authorized location.

Be sure to follow these tips and don’t let a scammer steal your holiday cheer.