{"id":14129,"date":"2020-06-09T16:24:36","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T20:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/?post_type=press-release&#038;p=14129"},"modified":"2021-08-19T14:06:43","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T18:06:43","slug":"protect-yourself-from-utility-scams","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/media-advisories\/press-releases\/2020\/06\/protect-yourself-from-utility-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Protect Yourself from Utility Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-14130\" src=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UtilityScams_Newsroom-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"A person looking down at their cell phone with a worried look on their face. Orange County Utilities logo.\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UtilityScams_Newsroom-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UtilityScams_Newsroom-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UtilityScams_Newsroom-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UtilityScams_Newsroom-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UtilityScams_Newsroom-2048x1360.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UtilityScams_Newsroom-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UtilityScams_Newsroom-785x521.jpg 785w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><strong>Updated Wednesday, August 19, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Orange County Utilities encourages customers to be aware of fraudulent callers threatening disconnections and demanding payment for past due accounts. Customers may receive an email from an OCFL.net address notifying them of past due balances. These emails are informational and will not request any financial information. To make payment arrangements, customers can call 407-836-5515, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recognizing Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Scammers may demand payment by a specific method such as immediately by phone or to a certain email address.<\/strong> Orange County Utilities accepts payments through its automated phone system, online, through the drive-thru and drop box at 9150 Curry Ford Road, and at participating merchants. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ocfl.net\/WaysToPay\">ocfl.net\/WaysToPay<\/a> to find the payment method that works best for you.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scammers may insist on payment by gift card, cash reload cards, money wiring, or cryptocurrency. <\/strong>Orange County Utilities does not accept retail gift cards (like Amazon), cash reload cards (like Reloadit or MoneyPak), or cryptocurrency (like bitcoin).The utility accepts payments by cash, check, money order, debit cards (with Visa or MasterCard logo), or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scammers may pretend to be utility workers inspecting equipment or offering water quality tests and unnecessary products.<\/strong> Orange County Utilities workers wear uniforms and can present official identification. The utility provides safe drinking water as an essential service to the community. The Annual Drinking Water Report provides information about the source of Orange County Utilities\u2019 drinking water, its treatment, testing, and delivery to your tap. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ocfl.net\/DrinkingWaterReport\">ocfl.net\/DrinkingWaterReport<\/a> for the latest data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Verify your account balance and make secure payments at <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ocfl.net\/PayUtilities\"><strong>www.ocfl.net\/PayUtilities<\/strong><\/a><strong> or by calling 407-836-5515.<\/strong> If you suspect scammers have targeted you, email* <a href=\"mailto:Utilities.Information@ocfl.net\">Utilities.Information@ocfl.net<\/a> or call 407-836-5515 and notify your local law enforcement agency at the nonemergency line. Victims can file a complaint with the <a href=\"http:\/\/myfloridalegal.com\/contact.nsf\/contact?Open&amp;Section=Citizen_Services\">Florida Office of the Attorney General<\/a> or to the toll free hotline at 1-866-966-7226.<\/p>\n<p><em>*PLEASE NOTE: Florida has a very broad public records law (F. S. 119).<br \/>\nAll emails to and from County Officials are kept as a public record. Your email communications, including your email address may be disclosed to the public and media at any time. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated Wednesday, August 19, 2020 Orange County Utilities encourages customers to be aware of fraudulent callers threatening disconnections and demanding payment for past due accounts. Customers may receive an email from an OCFL.net address notifying them of past due balances. These emails are informational and will not request any financial information. To make payment arrangements, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-14129","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Protect Yourself from Utility Scams<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/media-advisories\/press-releases\/2020\/06\/protect-yourself-from-utility-scams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Protect Yourself from Utility Scams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Updated Wednesday, August 19, 2020 Orange County Utilities encourages customers to be aware of fraudulent callers threatening disconnections and demanding payment for past due accounts. 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