Utility bill scam steals personal information

The President of the United States is not going to pay your utility bill.

Atmos Energy is warning customers about the latest version of a scam that promises federal stimulus money for utility bills in exchange for a customer’s personal information. The scam artist provides a bank routing number that supposedly has an account with funds to pay past due bills.

However, there is no such program and customers should never give personal information to anyone who is not an authorized agent of any utility company.

Atmos Energy previously warned customers about the scam in May but has been receiving calls this week from customers who received the bank routing number. The North Carolina Attorney General issued a warning about this scam June 28 and utilities in Florida have also reported a similar effort.

According to Better Business Bureau reports, scammers have visited customers in person, posted fliers and used social media and texting to send messages claiming that President Obama will provide a credit or directly pay utility bills.

This “Utility Bill Scam’ represents a risk of identity theft. Atmos Energy reminds customers that its employees always carry proper identification and never ask customers for personal information such as social security numbers.

Customers who believe they are a victim of the latest “Utility Bill Scam’ should contact their local authorities, such as the police, the state attorney general’s office or the Better Business Bureau.