Piedmont Natural Gas alerts customers to be aware of scams

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas is educating customers on how to recognize Piedmont service technicians as part of an awareness campaign to protect customers of the Charlotte-based natural gas distribution company from utility scammers.

Fall is typically a busy time for Piedmont's technicians, who are a common sight in neighborhoods as they perform routine maintenance, conduct safety inspections and respond to service requests. Unfortunately, customers in past years have been victimized by scammers posing as utility workers.

"The safety of our customers is Piedmont's No. 1 priority, and we want to give them the information they need to feel safe when one of our service technicians comes to their door," said Jared Lawrence, vice president of customer operations for Piedmont Natural Gas. "Although we have no recent reports of scammers impersonating Piedmont employees, our goal is to prevent even one customer from falling victim to a scam."

Piedmont's awareness campaign, which also includes information in customers' bills and on its website at piedmontng.com, is part of a nationwide effort called Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) to help customers distinguish scammers from actual utility workers.

Here are four easy things customers can keep in mind to help them identify a Piedmont Natural Gas service technician:

• Service technicians always wear the company's blue uniform with the Piedmont logo when making a service call.
• A worker making a service call will arrive in a Piedmont Natural Gas vehicle with the company's name and logo clearly displayed.
• All Piedmont workers are required to carry their company ID badge, which has the Piedmont Natural Gas logo at the top, along with a photo of the employee and the employee's first and last names.
• Technicians will never ask for cash or any other form of payment from customers during a service call to their home or business.

Customers who have any doubts about the identity of an individual claiming to be a Piedmont employee can call Piedmont Natural Gas at 800.752.7504 to find out if the company is working in their area and if there is a work order for their address. Customers can also visit the company's website at piedmontng.com for additional information.

UUAS has made available a "Consumer's Guide to Impostor Utility Scams," which provides descriptions of the many scams that target utility customers and tools they can use to protect themselves. This guide can be found on the coalition's website, utilitiesunited.org.

For more information on how to spot a utility scam and protect personal information, visit Avoid scammers: How to recognize a utility employee.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas is an energy services company whose principal business is the distribution of natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as power plants, in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Piedmont is routinely recognized by J.D. Power for excellent customer satisfaction and was named by Cogent Reports in 2017 as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S. 

Piedmont Natural Gas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.

The company's Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit serves approximately 7.6 million retail electric customers in six states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to approximately 1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Renewables unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the U.S.

A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's Best Employers" list.

More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Jennifer Sharpe                                        
Piedmont Natural Gas
24-Hour Media Line: 877.348.3612                           
[email protected]        

SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas