It’s Florida Power and Light’s National Consumer Protection Week, and they’re sharing ways to help customers avoid falling for scams.
Customer Phoebe Umscheid experienced a scammer pretending to be Florida Power and Light last week.
"He was a representative of some sort of electrical company," Umscheid said. "He said that was going to overtake FPL because FPL lost something about a pyramid deal."
He came to her front door, and told her the only way to get any electricity to her house was to install solar panels, but she told the employee she’s getting a new roof soon and didn’t need solar panels.
"After the conversation, he looks at me and said, 'Are you OK?'" she said.
Luckily, her gut instincts kicked in, and she didn’t fall for these scams.
FPL said when someone knocks on your door and pretends to be them, don’t be afraid to close the door on them and report it.
"FPL will always be identifiable," said Francine Freitas, an FPL spokesperson. "We will have a badge, we'll have a work order number, and you can always call to verify all of that using the phone number on your bill."
She said scammers are also taking advantage of search engine results to look up people’s contact information. She said they can use consumer behavior to make you call the scammer.
"Most everyone has an online presence," said Michelle Pelletier, an FSW program director for the Cyber Security Institute. "They have a footprint, and what is being looked at is your footprint."
Pelletier explains scammers may also look at your public records.
"If I want to know somebody, I could look up their tax document because it's a public record," she said.
Freitas recommends making sure the URL has a lock symbol and that the website is "FPL.com."
She said people are also pretending to be FLP over the phone. While these scams happen year round, she said it's worse after hurricane season.
"After a storm, the scammers take advantage of a crisis situation," Freitas said.
You can flag these scammers by calling your local police department, FPL, or reporting it to the Federal Trade Commission.