Be aware of scammers who pose as utility employees and demand immediate payment or personal information under the false threat of service disconnection. Criminals’ tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated and tend to intensify during the holiday season.
Thieves typically attempt to steal money by phone or in person but be on the lookout for falsified mail and email as well.
- Q. What are thieves telling customers?
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Thieves are calling APCO customers and
- Threatening to shut off power unless an immediate payment is made;
- Telling customers they need a new meter, but a payment must be made before the new meter is installed;
- Going door to door and negotiating total bill amounts if an immediate payment is made;
- Offering a discount on their APCO bill if they sign up for auto-pay;
- Demanding a deposit be paid immediately.
APCO never asks customers to use pre-paid debit cards for payment.
Some scammers are displaying APCO’s name as the Caller ID. Others play a telephone recording that sounds like APCO’s phone system message.
- Q. What should I do if I may have been contacted by a thief impersonating APCO?
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Hang up the phone and call APCO immediately at Tennessee: 1-800-967-4237, Virginia: 1-800-956-4237, or West Virginia: 1-800-982-4237. An APCO employee can tell you if we have contacted you about your bill.
Do not give the caller a prepaid card, such as a Green Dot card, a wire transfer or any other form of payment.
Ignore suspicious requests for personal information such as bank account numbers, user names and passwords, credit card numbers or Social Security numbers.
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Call APCO immediately at Tennessee: 1-800-967-4237, Virginia: 1-800-956-4237, or West Virginia: 1-800-982-4237. An APCO employee can tell you if we’ve tried to call you. The employee can also tell you what your account balance is and when your next payment is due.
View your account balance and due date by logging into https://www.appalachianpower.com.
Consider enrolling in Mobile Billing Alerts. We’ll send a text message three days before your payment is due and confirm when we have received your payment.
- Q. How can I know if it’s really APCO contacting me?
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Call us at 1-800-956-4237 and we’ll tell you if we’ve tried to call you, what your account balance is and when your next payment is due.
You can also download our app from the App Store or Google Play. On the app you can instantly see your balance.
Finally, consider enrolling in Mobile Billing Alerts. We’ll send a text message three days before your payment is due and confirm when we have received your payment.
- Q. If I’ve been scammed, what should I do?
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Contact your local police through their non-emergency telephone number and report the scam. Please also call APCO at Tennessee: 1-800-967-4237, Virginia: 1-800-956-4237, or West Virginia: 1-800-982-4237 to report the scam.
APCO is working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute scammers.
- Q. Should I report a scam attempt to APCO?
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Absolutely! Call APCO at Tennessee: 1-800-967-4237, Virginia: 1-800-956-4237, or West Virginia: 1-800-982-4237 to report the scam attempt. APCO tracks scam attempts and works with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute scammers.