RICHMOND, Va., July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy is encouraging customers to be on alert against utility scams.

"As technology advances, utility scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect," said Utibe Bassey, Dominion Energy's Vice President of Customer Experience. "We encourage our customers to be on alert, recognize the signs of scams and take action to protect yourself."

Here are the telltale warning signs to help you avoid becoming a scam victim:

1. Dominion Energy does not call and threaten service disconnection if a customer does not make a payment immediately.
2. Dominion Energy never demands payment with a credit or debit card by phone, or asks a customer to wire a transfer, send money orders or buy a gift card to pay a utility bill.
3. Not all scammers are aggressive and threatening. Some scammers try to earn a customer's trust by being personable and sympathetic.

Here are four important steps you can take to protect yourself:

• Hang up. Do not provide account, payment or any other personal information.
• Fact check. Scammers don't typically know a customer's account balance. You can verify your account balance and payment due date online or on the Dominion Energy app.
• Set up alerts. You can set alerts with your bank and your credit cards so if suspicious purchases are made, you are immediately notified. You can enable notifications with your mobile device for added convenience. 
• Use complex passwords or phrases online. At least 7 characters in length, both upper and lowercase letters, include numbers and special characters. Don't use personal information like names of family etc. Use passwords that are NOT a word in any language, slang, dialect, jargon etc. Don't use the same passwords for different sites.

For more scam prevention tips, visit dominionenergy.com/our-stories/scammers-and-personal-safety.

About Dominion Energy
About 7 million customers in 16 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to safely providing reliable, affordable and sustainable energy and to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.

SOURCE Dominion Energy