Indianapolis Power & Light Company joins nationwide effort to educate customers on utility scams

November 16, 2020

Indianapolis Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES), joins the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for its annual Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) National Scam Awareness Week. The advocacy campaign launches today and highlights more than 140 electric, water and natural gas utilities and their trade associations to raise awareness of common utility scams, which have increased this year due to COVID-19 and improvements in technology.

The campaign educates customers on the tactics that scammers use and how to avoid them. One of the most common types of utility scams involves customers being contacted by someone claiming to represent IPL and threatening to disconnect their electric service within 30 minutes without immediate payment.

In addition, the holiday season and challenging circumstances, such as the pandemic or following a major storm, are known times when customers fall victim to scams.

IPL offers warning signs and tips to prevent becoming a victim of utility scams:

Do not engage with people who unexpectedly call to request your account and billing information. You can check the status of your account at any time by signing up for a free online account and enrolling in alerts to stay informed.
Do not act on threatening phone calls of any manner. This includes threats to disconnect your electric service if you don’t pay immediately, and insisting on a specific payment type, such as a prepaid debit card.
Do not answer people who show up at your home unannounced without identification. IPL technicians will always carry an official ID badge.
If IPL does call a customer, our representative will have specific and accurate information related to the customer's billing and account.
IPL does not require or strongly recommend a specific payment method or type. We offer a variety of payment options so customers can select the one that best suits them.
Customers are asked to notify IPL if they receive a call and are unsure that the caller is truly an IPL employee. Please call IPL at 317.261.8222 for residential customers or 317.261.8444 if you're a business customer to verify any questions you may have related to IPL bill payment and collection.

If you suspect you have been impacted by a scam, please report the activity by calling your local police department’s non-emergency number. Learn more at IPLpower.com/scam.

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About Indianapolis Power & Light Company and AES

Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL), an AES Company, provides retail electric service to more than 490,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Indianapolis, as well as portions of other Central Indiana communities surrounding Marion County. During its long history, IPL has supplied its customers with some of the lowest-cost, most reliable power in the country. For more information about the company, please visit IPLpower.com or connect at www.twitter.com/IPLpower, www.facebook.com/IPLpower or www.linkedin.com/company/IPLpower.

The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) is a Fortune 500 global power company. We provide affordable, sustainable energy to 14 countries through our diverse portfolio of distribution businesses as well as thermal and renewable generation facilities. Our workforce is committed to operational excellence and meeting the world’s changing power needs. Our 2019 revenues were $10 billion and we own and manage $34 billion in total assets. To learn more, please visit www.aes.com. Follow AES on Twitter @TheAESCorp.

Media Contact:

Courtney Arango
courtney.arango@aes.com
317.220.1501

Note: Scam prevention assets are attached to the news release