Just received a phone call from: Energy Choice, phone number 813-253-2921. They were very friendly and was going to reduce my energy rate. All I had to do was tell them my 10 digit energy choice number from my phone bill. I asked them to read it to me and I would let them know if they were right. They said they are required to have me read it to them. I said I would if they told me how many 3’s were in my number. They said they could not do that, and I said good-bye. This seems like a scam to get them to switch my electric provider. Is this a scam?
I’m dumb, I guess, but why do you have a 10 digit Energy Choice number on your phone bill?
And yes, it sounds like a possible scam.
I’d never heard of this before now, and don’t see it on my phone, gas, or electric bills in Kansas City. This site gives some info. I would venture it’s a system to prevent utility companies from signing you up without your express authorization, used in areas where one might have a choice of said companies. If that’s the case, it seems to me it’s legitimate for them to ask for it, and I wonder if they even have a way of knowing it unless the customer tells them.
They called me unsolicited and told me they were ready to start saving me money on my electric bill. All I had to do was tell them that 10 digit number. And they specifically said that I have to read it to them and they will check to be sure they match.
Some of the people on this site think it’s an alternate energy provider in the area trying to scam you into signing up.
If you care, you could call your power company at the number on the bill, and ask them if they know anything about it.
-D/a
I’d be tempted to give them a wrong number and see what they say.
Seems pretty clear that that’s what’s going on.
There’s some regulation that gives you a number on your bill. Think of it as the password to make changes to your account. You have to give it to another company when you want them to be your future provider, which lets your current provider (and possibly some regulator somewhere) know that you really approved the change.
Asking for it this way is just scammy phishing. You haven’t agreed to anything, but they’re going to claim that you did, and look, you even gave your password to seal the deal.
Sounds like the latest variation of the “cramming” scam for switching phone service. You did the right thing. You also did the right thing by publicizing the scam.
BTW, this week I got a post card about a class-action settlement with Verizon having to do with cramming. Not looking to get much from it but it is the constant cycle of one rip-off rolling into another.
It is a scam and I threaten to pursue it with the law if they called me again. This is like the 90s when the phone companies would try to change your service to them through unethical and often illegal means.
I got the call around 6pm and ripped into them.
edit: or what What Exit? said.
The thing about cold calls like that are that even if they are a legit company, you have no way of knowing. They could be someone posing as that company for all you know. I would be surprised if any legit company does business that way. If you kept them on the line and asked questions, you probably would have verified that they were a scam.
Look at the first four words. You don’t want to do business with them. Really. Any company that will call you, unsolicited, is a company that has sleazy standards of advertising.