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 Seattle City Light
News Release |
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| Subject:
Identity Theft Alert |
For Immediate Release:
11/15/2006 12:00:00 AM |
For More Information Contact:
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Identity Theft Alert
City Light customers need to be warned
SEATTLE - Seattle
City Light is issuing a warning about the possibility a thief or thieves are
calling customers to obtain credit card information. The thief indicates that
the customer must give them their credit card number immediately to avoid
shut-off of electricity that day. In this case, the thief indicated a customer
hadn’t signed their personal check for payment of their bill and to avoid a
shut-off, they needed to make a credit card payment immediately.
"That simply isn’t the way
the utility contacts customers,” states Carol Dickinson, Account Services
Director. “Seattle City Light does not make calls to customers asking for
credit card information. If a customer hadn’t signed their personal check for
payment, we would take them at their word that they intended to, process the
check and forward it to their bank to be funded." Dickinson adds that City
Light has a prescribed method of notifying a customer if their power is going
to be shut off and that includes at least two written warnings, asking
customers to contact the utility directly to make a payment. "Our goal is
provide our customers with power – not shut them off," says Dickinson. "The
way this customer was approached and dealt with isn’t the way we do business."
All City Light customers are
advised to take down the name and telephone number of anyone who calls and represents
themselves as a City Light employee. Also, before a customer provides anyone
with credit information, they should call City Light at 684-3000 to verify that
the request is legitimate.
City Light warns customers
that they could see more scams such as this shut-off threat as we get closer to
the holidays. Customer service representatives are available Monday – Friday
from 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. to receive customer inquiries at 684.3000. Also,
customers can e-mail City Light at respond.scl@seattle.gov
For more information, please
call Peter Clarke at (206) 684-3602.
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Seattle City Light is a publicly owned utility dedicated to exceeding our customers' expectations in producing and delivering low cost, reliable power in an environmentally responsible and safe way. We are committed to delivering the best customer service experience of any utility in the nation.
Seattle City Light
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Customer Service
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Call (206) 684-3000
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