Florida Power and Light officials are warning about a bill payment scam that is actively spreading through social media and word-of-mouth.
It may be part of a nationwide phishing scam.
Scammers are telling customers that a third party, in most cases the federal government or President Obama, will pay their utility bill in exchange for their personal information such as Social Security numbers and personal banking information.
This is false and FPL officials have notified authorities including the State Attorney General's Office and the FBI.
While customers may have received information from friends or the internet instead of the scammers themselves, all FPL customers are urged never to use banking information that is not their own. Unauthorized use of account information is illegal and any payment applied to utility bills will be reversed.
If you think you may have been a victim of this scam, you may contact the authorities listed below:
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs
• Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
• Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force
• Federal Trade Commission
Also, customers who use unauthorized banking information to pay their FPL bill will receive a letter stating their payment was invalid and they will still be required to pay their bills. For more information on how to protect yourself from scams go to: www.FPL.com/FPLprotect.
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