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How to avoid scammers pretending to be IPL

Utility scam in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — People claiming to be Indianapolis Power & Light employees could be coming to your house and demanding payments. Don’t pay them.

IPL says utility scams are a national problem and they’re constantly receiving reports of scams in our area. They say with this particular case, they thought it was over last week. Apparently it’s still going on.

On the Nextdoor app, as late as Monday, several people on the west side say they’ve been visited by people posing as IPL workers, and that they were told to pay $300 to change a meter.

“What you should look for is an IPL badge,” IPL spokesperson Courtney Arango said. “And we will always proactively notify you when we plan to visit your residence with an access agreement, door hangers, door tags, so you’ll know that it’s us. So do not let anyone into your home.”

The people posting about the incident say the scammers gave them a fake number to call that seems to be IPL, but it isn’t. IPL says it’s pretty easy to look up their actual number and they’ll never call you without some type of notice.

“We wait for customers to call us with their questions,” Arango said. “So if you call 317-261-8222, you will hear a selection, you can reach a live person.”

IPL says those two scams are two of the seven most common utility scams. They’ve seen it all, so they make sure if you ever need to pay them money, you’ll get a notice, too.

“You would get a legitimate communication from IPL in the mail,” Arango said. “Or you can contact us and know exactly what your account balance is and exactly where it’s going and what charges apply.”

IPL says they’ll be publishing some safety tips along with mailed bills next month to help curb the problem and protect more customers.

“We are aware of the problem,” Arango said. “We are hoping to educate our customers on exactly what they should and shouldn’t look for. You can also always follow us on our social media pages”

If you think you’ve been scammed or are being scammed, contact the police and IPL to let them know exactly what’s going on.