{"id":195004,"date":"2020-03-24T09:44:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T14:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/?p=195004"},"modified":"2020-03-24T09:45:18","modified_gmt":"2020-03-24T14:45:18","slug":"otter-tail-power-warns-of-phone-scammers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/?p=195004","title":{"rendered":"Otter Tail Power warns of phone scammers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(Fergus Falls, Minnesota, March 24, 2020) \u00a0 Otter Tail Power Company is aware of recent scam activity in parts of its service area. \u201cScammers are taking advantage of potentially heightened anxiety around the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d said Customer Care Supervisor Collin Kremeier. \u201cIt\u2019s important for our customers to know that we\u2019ll never pressure you to make immediate payments, especially through services like MoneyPak, MoneyGram, or pre-paid credit cards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Otter Tail Power Company continues to put the health and safety of its employees and customers first\u2014while it continues to maintain reliable electric service in the region. As always, the company is working with its customers to address specific concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Kremeier outlines these red flags if you receive suspicious contact from a possible scammer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The caller says he or she works for Otter Tail Power Company or a collection agency and your electricity is about to be shut off\u2014even though you know you\u2019ve paid your bill.<\/li>\n<li>The caller references a phony bill date, account number, or balance. Otter Tail Power Company doesn\u2019t offer this information over the phone and only will validate what customers provide.<\/li>\n<li>If the scam surfaces via email, the message does not mention Otter Tail Power Company yet contains a clickable link that supposedly would allow you to view your bill.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use these tips to help protect yourself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t call back the number the scammer provided, as scammers can spoof the company\u2019s phone number, making it appear as though the call is coming from Otter Tail Power Company. Contact the company directly at 800-257-4044 or check your account using the company\u2019s website, otpco.com.<\/li>\n<li>Only share information by phone if you\u2019ve initiated the call.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t click on links in or reply to a suspicious email.<\/li>\n<li>Never share business or personal information by email.<\/li>\n<li>Contact your financial institution if you shared banking or credit card information.<\/li>\n<li>Report illegal activity to local law enforcement and to the Federal Trade Commission at 877-FTC-HELP.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cAn Otter Tail Power Company Customer Service Representative may call to remind you to make a payment\u2014but never will ask to process your payment on the call,\u201d said Kremeier. \u201cPlease call us with questions about your account or to set up payment arrangements. Stay well during this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This news release is available on our website at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.otpco.com\/newsroom\/\">otpco.com\/Newsroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Otter Tail Power Company, a subsidiary of Otter Tail Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select Market: OTTR), is headquartered in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. With a balanced commitment to environmental, economic, and community stewardship, the company provides electricity and energy services to approximately 230,000 people in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. To learn more about Otter Tail Power Company visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.otpco.com\">otpco.com<\/a>. To learn more about Otter Tail Corporation visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ottertail.com\">ottertail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Fergus Falls, Minnesota, March 24, 2020) \u00a0 Otter Tail Power Company is aware of recent scam activity in parts of its service area. \u201cScammers are taking advantage of potentially heightened anxiety around the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d said Customer Care Supervisor Collin Kremeier. \u201cIt\u2019s important for our customers to know that we\u2019ll [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":77865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=195004"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195005,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195004\/revisions\/195005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/77865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=195004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=195004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=195004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}