Becky Green with Chattanooga Gas in a marked, company vehicle
Brandon Holmes with EPB in uniform and marked company vehicle
Rick Stephens with Tennessee American Water drives the leak detection truck
Will O’Donnell of Tennessee American Water in his marked car and uniform.
Bird's eye view of the trucks
Group photo with the executives
Tennessee American Water, Chattanooga Gas and EPB are raising awareness of utility worker imposters. Imposters may try to scam customers either in-person at their home or business or by phone.
When coming to a private residence or business to perform work, legitimate utility workers with Chattanooga Gas, EPB and Tennessee American Water always will wear a uniform with the company logo, present a photo ID badge and drive work vehicles that prominently display the company’s name. Contractors working with these utilities will be able to identify themselves with company issued identification. Examples include a magnetic logo on their truck or a special company-issued badge for contractors.
“Chattanooga Gas wants its customers to be aware of all the scams that are out there,” said Larry Buie, Chattanooga Gas regional director. “Each utility involved in this effort wants each customer to be armed with the facts so they know how to respond if faced with a scam.”
Field employees with Tennessee American Water, Chattanooga Gas and EPB who are working at a home or business would not ask that a payment be made through them. Instead, they would direct customers to the appropriate payment phone number or authorized in-person payment locations.
“We are ultimately concerned for the safety of our customers,” said Tennessee American Water President Valoria Armstrong. “We want them to recognize the difference between a legitimate utility worker and an impersonator so they can protect themselves.”
Utility worker imposters may use tactics over the phone such as demanding immediate payment or payment via a pre-loaded credit card. Customers should be aware that Tennessee American Water, Chattanooga Gas and EPB customer service representatives would not ask customers in this manner. Customers should also be aware that some scammers are able to change the number on caller ID to appear as a legitimate phone call.
“We ask our customers to remain vigilant against utility imposters who use scare tactics and fraudulent attempts to solicit immediate payments with cash or debit cards,” said EPB Chief Information and Security Officer David Johnson. “EPB does not demand payments with reloadable debit cards to prevent immediate service disconnections, and we never use online pop-up messaging to solicit payments or to verify customer information.”
Customers with any doubts of the legitimacy of a worker at their property or from a phone call should contact the appropriate utility as well as local law enforcement.