SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WHBL) -- Officials with Alliant Energy are warning customers about a number of scams coming through the area.
Alliant Energy Spokesman Chris DuPre says that scammers are trying to intimidate customers into giving them money over the phone. "They'll call and intimidate you, and say you have to give them a credit card number over the phone, or pay with a prepaid card like a Green Dot Card or they'll claim there's an issue with the equipment inside your house. These are all things that we will not do." He says that disconnection will always be the last resort in any case and never the first step in the process.
There's also a number of phony utility workers masquerading at Alliant Energy employees who are trying to get inside of people's houses. DuPre says there's a number of ways to identify a legitimate worker from the company. "ID tags that have Alliant Energy at the top, a photo and then the name of the employee below. Also our workers most generally will be driving in a white vehicle with the Alliant Energy emblem on it." The scammers will try to threaten their way into the house or ask you to fill out paperwork with personally identifying information like your Social Security number.
If you run into any of these problems, either hang up the phone or refuse the person entry. Call Alliant Energy at 1-800-255-4268 to confirm the status of your account or to check to see if there really are utility workers coming to your home. "If they are intimidating or in some other way trespassing, feel free to call local law enforcement as well." DuPre says keeping their customers safe is their top priority.