TECO Reports Scam Artists Operating During Irma

BRANDON, FL – While most people are hunkered down across the Tampa Bay area with Hurricane Irma bearing down, TECO Energy is receiving reports that scam artists posing as their employees are robbing residents at gunpoint while the storm is raging.

According to TECO Energy’s Facebook page, the reports they’ve received on Sunday, Sept. 10, are that people dressed to look like utility workers have been knocking on doors. When someone answers the door, they are robbed at gunpoint.

All TECO employees and contractors working for Tampa Electric are required to carry photo identification cards, according to the Facebook post. The company urges residents to ask to see an ID badge or call the company to verify the person’s identity if a person claiming to be from TECO visits a home or business unexpectedly.

In a blog post from May 22, warning residents of a different scam, TECO Energy offered the following tips for its customers in addition to verifying ID badges:

• Tampa Electric will never ask for credit card or debit card numbers
• Be wary of anyone demanding payment over the phone for a power bill
• If you are uncertain about an individual’s association with Tampa Electric, please contact the company for verification: (813) 223-0800 in Hillsborough County, (863) 299-0800 in Polk County, (888) 223-0800 in all other areas.

If a resident has been the victim of a scam or was contacted by a scammer, TECO recommends contacting local law enforcement or Crime Stoppers at (800) 873-TIPS.

Image via Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page