Utility Scam Alert

BUSINESS AND BUT A BETTER WORLD. IT WOULD BE ONCE WE GET TO THAT POINT. >> FOR WGCU NEWS, I'M DAYNA HARPSTER. >> SCAMMERS ARE GETTING MORE CREATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO TARGETING VICTIMS. ACCORDING TO THE FBI, FLORIDIANS SUFFER FROM OVER 1.6 BILLION DOLLARS IN SCAM LOSSES ANNUALLY IN AN ATTEMPT TO ATTRACT NEW TARGETS. SOME MALCONTENTS ARE UTILIZING AI TO CREATE FAKE PERSONAS IN AN ATTEMPT TO LURE CONSUMERS UNDER FALSE PRETENSES. >> THAT'S WILL FROM FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT. STATE OF FLORIDA HAS RECENTLY CHANGED ITS EFFICIENCY STANDARDS. YOUR HOUSE HAS BEEN FLAGGED FOR AN ENERGY COMPLIANCE REVIEW. THERE'S A NEW REBATE RELATED TO YOUR AIR-CONDITIONER BASED ON AGE AND EFFICIENCY. IF YOUR AIR CONDITIONERS OVER 4 YEARS OLD AND YOU PAY OVER $150 A MONTH ON YOUR ELECTRICITY BILLS. YOU CAN GET UP TO $3,000 IN ENERGY REBATES. >> SO IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO BETTER PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BECOMING THE NEXT POTENTIAL VICTIM OF A PHONE SCAM. WGCUS TEDDY BYRNE LEARNED MORE TO FIND OUT. >> FOR MORE ON AI SCAMS AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. I'M JOINED BY SHELLEY RAGSDALE FROM FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT IS RAGSDALE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. SO OUR VIEWERS JUST HEARD A SAMPLE OF ONE OF THESE ARTIFICIALLY GENERATED RECORDINGS. HOW COMMON ARE THESE TYPES OF SCAMS BECOMING? YEAH. SO IT. >> THE STAND AGE. THEY'RE BECOMING VERY, VERY COMMON SCAMMERS ARE BECOMING MORE CREATIVE USING ALL TYPES OF WAYS TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU FROM A PHONE MESSAGE OR ONLINE TEXTING. ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE COMMON WAYS FOR SCAMMERS TO TRY TO REACH OUT AND AND SKATING. BASICALLY. >> SO NOW FPL DOES MAKE HOUSE CALLS. I RECEIVED ONE EARLIER THIS YEAR ABOUT A TREE THAT NEEDED TO BE REMOVED SINCE IT WAS TOO NEAR A POWER LINE. SO WHEN SOMEONE GETS A CALL FROM A PERSON STATING THERE FROM FPL OR DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION, WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE BE WEARY OF WHEN THEY GET AN UNINTENDED PHONE CALL? >> FROM A PHONE CALL PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE IF IT EVER IN QUESTION IF IT'S SOMETHING NEW, JUST DON'T FEEL IS RIGHT. WE SHOULD ALL ALWAYS HANG UP AND THEN YOU CAN CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR BILL TO VERIFY. BUT THIS IS TRULY FPL CONTACTING YOU FOR SOMETHING. AS YOU MENTIONED, THEY DO MAKE HOUSE CALLS TO WILL HAVE SOMEONE FROM OUR CREW OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, OUR OUR LINE CREW OR VEGETATION TEEN, THEY MAY COME TO YOUR HOME, MAY LEAVE THE DOOR HANGER. FOR INSTANCE, THAT HAS INFORMATION ABOUT WHY THEY CAME TO YOUR HOME AND, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS YOU NEED TO TRIM A TREE OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE IF IT EVER FEELS LIKE IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW SOMETHING THAT'S JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT. YOU KNOW, ALWAYS HANG-UP OR, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN EVEN CLOSE THE DOOR AND AND NOT ENGAGE WITH THAT PERSON. IF YOU IF IT'S A TRUE FPL PERSON, THEY'LL HAVE AN FPL BADGE THAT YOU CAN ASK THEM TO VERIFY. THAT THERE WITH FPL. BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS AGAIN CALLED THE NUMBER ON YOUR BILL TO VERIFY. BUT THIS IS TRULY FPL HERE OR CONTACTING YOU TO DO BUSINESS OR DO SOMETHING AT YOUR HOME. >> AND I THINK WHAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD STILL PREFER THE ABILITY THEN TO SPEAK PERSON, THE PERSON WITH SOMEONE FPL DOES USE AI AS PART OF ITS CUSTOMER SERVICE. YOU KNOW, YOU GET THAT WHEN YOU HAVE TO CALL UP A BILL REPORT. AN OUTAGE. SO IT'S EASY TO SEE HOW SOME CUSTOMERS CAN BE CONFUSED WHEN THESE REALISTIC VOICES ARE BEING INCORPORATED. SO HOW CONCERNING IS IT TO SEEING AI BEING USED IN THIS MANNER, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT TARGETS ORGANIZATIONS LIKE YOURSELF? >> YEAH, IT IS DEFINITELY CONCERNING. AND WE DO HAVE A PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE. FPL DOT COM SLASH PROTECT. THAT GIVES A LOT OF GREAT TIPS AND THINGS TO HELP CUSTOMERS PROTECT THEMSELVES. THANKS TO LOOK OUT FOR AND WAYS TO MAKE SURE YOUR, YOU KNOW, PAYING YOUR BILL THROUGH AN OFFICIAL FPL CHANNEL THAT FPL DOT COM SLASH WAYS TO PAY CHECK OUT THOSE RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE IT'S IT'S TRULY SOMETHING THAT'S LEGITIMATE. WE DON'T WANT CUSTOMERS TO, YOU KNOW, PAY A SCAMMER FOR THEIR BILL AND INSTEAD OF PAYING YOUR ACTUAL BILL BECAUSE AND YOU KNOW THAT THAT JUST STARTS A WHOLE SNOWBALL OF OF ISSUES. BUT AND IT IS CONCERNING AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR CUSTOMERS TO BE VERY THE GILLETT UNAWARE OF THESE SCAMS THAT ARE OUT THERE KNOW THAT SCAMMERS ARE BECOMING VERY CREATIVE. THEY CAN USE REAL SOUNDING VOICES TO TRY TO. GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU AND A LOT OF THEIR TACTICS OR OR YOU'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING PAY RIGHT AWAY OR DO SOMETHING RIGHT AWAY OR YOU'RE GOING TO BE DISCONNECTED IN AND THAT'S NOT HOW WE OPERATE. WE TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH CUSTOMERS AND GIVE THEM TIME TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE ACTION. NOT THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY THE SECOND AND WE DON'T TAKE UNUSUAL FORMS OF PAYMENT. FOR INSTANCE, WE DON'T YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T PAY LIKE AND OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT NEWS OUR FPL DOT COM SLASH LEAST TO PAY OFFICIAL WAYS TO PAY YOUR BILL AND ALSO CHECK OUT THAT WEB PAGE AT FPL DOT COM SLASH PROTECT. THAT GIVES ALL KINDS OF GREAT INFORMATION AND THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR AND TIPS TO HELP KEEP YOU SAFE. >> SHELLEY RAGSDALE FROM FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SPEAK WITH US TODAY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. >> TO HELP PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ROBOCALLS AND POTENTIAL SCAMS YOU CAN ADD YOUR PHONE NUMBERS TO THE NATIONAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY THIS GOVERNMENT PROGRAM ALLOWS YOU TO DECIDE WHAT TELEMARKETING