Arizona Utilities Join Nationwide Push to Fight Fraud on Utility Scam Awareness Day
Each year, Arizona customers lose money to scammers posing as utility company employees. These fraudsters use deceptive tactics to create urgency and drive customers to pay fake electric bills.
To help prevent fraud, Arizona Public Service (APS) Salt River Project (SRP), Southwest Gas (SWG), Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and UniSource Energy Services are joining the national Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) Day campaign on Nov. 19. The goal is to help customers and businesses recognize and avoid scams.
The central message this year is "Slow Down, Verify, Stop the Scam."
Key Scam Tactics to Watch For
Utility impostor scams often involve:
Follow UUAS on Facebook and Twitter and join the conversation by using #StopScams.
About Utilities United Against Scams
Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) is a consortium of more than 150 U.S. and Canadian electric, water, and natural gas utilities (and their respective trade associations). UUAS is dedicated to combating impostor utility scams by providing a forum for utilities and trade associations to share data and best practices, in addition to working together to implement initiatives to inform and protect customers.
Arizona Public Service:
APS serves approximately 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona's 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering reliable, affordable, clean energy in the Southwest. To learn more about available support, visit aps.com/support or call the APS Customer Experience Center. Advisors are available to support in English and Spanish 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 602- 371-7171 (metro Phoenix) or 800-253-9405 (other areas). Visit aps.com/scams to learn more.
Salt River Project:
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers. SRP provides water to about half of the Valley's residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals and irrigation laterals. SRP is here to help, offering 24/7 customer service in both English and Spanish. Customers who have received a suspicious call, email, or text message can contact SRP at 602-236-8888. For more information visit srp.net/utility-scams.
Southwest Gast:
Southwest Gas Corporation serves over two million customers across Arizona, California, and Nevada with safe, reliable natural gas service. The company is committed to sustainability and innovation in fueling the growth of the communities it serves. Southwest Gas will never call or appear at your door to demand immediate payment or ask to pay bills using prepaid cards, cryptocurrencies or third-party payment apps. For more information about how to identify a Southwest Gas employee or contractor, visitswgas.com/verify.
Tucson Electric Power and UniSource Energy Services:
TEP serves more than 450,000 electric customers in Southern Arizona. UniSource provides natural gas and electric service to more than 275,000 customers in Northern and Southern Arizona. More scam prevention tips and ways to identify field employees are available on the TEP and UniSource websites. TEP, UniSource and their Tucson, Arizona-based parent company, UNS Energy Corporation, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry. For more information visit fortisinc.com.
Media contacts:
APS: Katie Conner, Katie.Conner@aps.com, 480-708-1288
SRP: Marisol Peláez, Marisol.Pelaez@srpenet.com, 602-471-9676
Southwest Gas: Amy Washburn, Amy.Washburn@swgas.com, 602-395-4090
TEP and UniSource: Joseph Barrios, jbarrios@tep.com, 520-884-3725
To help prevent fraud, Arizona Public Service (APS) Salt River Project (SRP), Southwest Gas (SWG), Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and UniSource Energy Services are joining the national Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) Day campaign on Nov. 19. The goal is to help customers and businesses recognize and avoid scams.
The central message this year is "Slow Down, Verify, Stop the Scam."
Key Scam Tactics to Watch For
Utility impostor scams often involve:
- Demanding immediate payment and threatening to disconnect service within minutes or hours.
- Requesting unusual payment methods, such as cryptocurrency, prepaid debit cards, gift cards, or third-party digital payment apps. Legitimate utilities never require these payment types.
- Impersonating representatives through phone calls, texts, emails, or even in-person visits.
- Slow down: If a request for payment is unexpected or creates panic, end the conversation. Legitimate utilities will reach out multiple times and offer assistance if a bill is past due.
- Verify: Contact your utility directly using the verified phone number on your bill or the company's official website to check your account status. Never use a phone number provided by the suspected scammer.
- Stop the scam: Report the incident immediately to your local utility and law enforcement. Call 911 if you ever feel you are in physical danger.
Follow UUAS on Facebook and Twitter and join the conversation by using #StopScams.
About Utilities United Against Scams
Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) is a consortium of more than 150 U.S. and Canadian electric, water, and natural gas utilities (and their respective trade associations). UUAS is dedicated to combating impostor utility scams by providing a forum for utilities and trade associations to share data and best practices, in addition to working together to implement initiatives to inform and protect customers.
Arizona Public Service:
APS serves approximately 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona's 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering reliable, affordable, clean energy in the Southwest. To learn more about available support, visit aps.com/support or call the APS Customer Experience Center. Advisors are available to support in English and Spanish 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 602- 371-7171 (metro Phoenix) or 800-253-9405 (other areas). Visit aps.com/scams to learn more.
Salt River Project:
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers. SRP provides water to about half of the Valley's residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals and irrigation laterals. SRP is here to help, offering 24/7 customer service in both English and Spanish. Customers who have received a suspicious call, email, or text message can contact SRP at 602-236-8888. For more information visit srp.net/utility-scams.
Southwest Gast:
Southwest Gas Corporation serves over two million customers across Arizona, California, and Nevada with safe, reliable natural gas service. The company is committed to sustainability and innovation in fueling the growth of the communities it serves. Southwest Gas will never call or appear at your door to demand immediate payment or ask to pay bills using prepaid cards, cryptocurrencies or third-party payment apps. For more information about how to identify a Southwest Gas employee or contractor, visitswgas.com/verify.
Tucson Electric Power and UniSource Energy Services:
TEP serves more than 450,000 electric customers in Southern Arizona. UniSource provides natural gas and electric service to more than 275,000 customers in Northern and Southern Arizona. More scam prevention tips and ways to identify field employees are available on the TEP and UniSource websites. TEP, UniSource and their Tucson, Arizona-based parent company, UNS Energy Corporation, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry. For more information visit fortisinc.com.
Media contacts:
APS: Katie Conner, Katie.Conner@aps.com, 480-708-1288
SRP: Marisol Peláez, Marisol.Pelaez@srpenet.com, 602-471-9676
Southwest Gas: Amy Washburn, Amy.Washburn@swgas.com, 602-395-4090
TEP and UniSource: Joseph Barrios, jbarrios@tep.com, 520-884-3725
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