Unfortunately, scammers continue to target EPB customers, said officials. In addition to ongoing telephone and online schemes by EPB imposters to “pay now or get disconnected,” EPB officials are aware of ransomware being used to hijack computers and extort money.
Ransomware uses on-screen messages that say files, programs or computers are not accessible unless you pay to have them released or the problems fixed. These are followed by messages claiming to be from EPB or another party with instructions on how to pay.
EPB never uses pop-up messages to communicate with customers, and they never make unsolicited offers to fix problems for a fee. EPB officials urge customers to never respond to these messages by clicking links or buttons.
Instead, customers should call 648-1372 to report suspicious email or pop-up messages and speak with technical support experts who can help resolve ransomware issues.