JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – JEA is warning about scammers looking to take advantage of the coronavirus by threatening to turn off your service if you don’t pay up.
The city-owned utility said City Councilman Danny Becton recently received a scam call that he immediately reported it to JEA.
The call included this message:
You will be experiencing a disconnection of service today, within 30 minutes. Due to nonpayment on the account. Please press 1 to speak with a representative.
[Press play above to hear the message so you can recognize if the scammers call you.]
JEA said this is 100% a scam because the utility suspended disconnections in March because of COVID-19 and that is expected to continue through at least July 7.
To avoid becoming a victim, JEA says you should never respond to requests that require you to pay using a prepaid card.
Also, be on the lookout for threats that your connection will be immediately shut off.
If you are threatened with immediate disconnection, customers should hang up the phone, delete the email, and/or shut the door right away.
JEA customers who suspect someone is trying to scam them should call 904-665-6000 to report it. DO NOTcall the phone number provided in the message.