DeLAND, Fla. – When Sanford restaurant owner Michelle Simoneaux got the call that she needed to pay her latest Florida Power and Light bill or have the power shut off, she admitted that she went into a panic.
The explanation of a merger between Duke Energy and FP&L seemed too complicated to be anything but legitimate, she said.
"The lady was able to give me the date I made my last payment and the amount my payment was last month," Simoneaux said.
The caller, a woman with a Russian accent, claimed that Duke was taking over billing of FP&L customers and that records show Simoneaux's payment was late.
The company confirms it is a scam..
The call came on a Monday during the bustle of the lunch hour crowd at Colonial restaurant.
According to Simoneaux, the phone number that showed up on her telephone screen was a legitimate number for Duke Energy.
She was told to purchase Green Dot money pak cards and provide the access codes to them to make the payment.
FP&L spokesman Bill Orlove said the number on the screen was most likely spoofed.
"With the help of authorities, we've discovered that most of the calls are coming from outside of the country by scammers who are using an Internet phone service to spoof local phone numbers," he said. "The best thing FP&L customers can do to protect themselves from being a victim of a scam is to recognize suspicious activity."
He added that FP&L will never call and ask for credit card information or take prepaid cards as payment. Also, FP&L will never ask for personal information from a customer unless they initiate the call.
Anyone who believes they are a victim of the scam is urged to call the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 800-435-7352.