UPPCO warns customers of phone scam & heating assistance

Marquette – Upper Peninsula Power Company is urging its customers, including business customers, to be aware of scammers who may call them posing as UPPCO representatives. Recently, several customers have reported being contacted and informed that they owe money to UPPCO and will have their power turned off unless payment is made immediately with a pre-paid credit card.

Upper Peninsula Power Company will never require customers to purchase a pre-paid credit card for payment. Any UPPCO customer who receives a suspicious call should not provide any private
information, account or banking information. If you are not sure it is UPPCO, simply hang up and call UPPCO at 800-562-7680. UPPCO can verify if a call was made to a customer and verify their account status.

If possible, write down any information the caller provides including the call date and time, phone number to call back and any information showing up on caller ID. It is also important to understand that if a customer is behind on their bill they will receive a notice in the mail from UPPCO.

And with the winter heating season coming to an end, Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) reminds customers who have difficulty paying their energy bill to contact the utility as soon as possible to arrange for payment and ensure continuity of service. UPPCO’s Customer Contact Center can be reached at 800-562-7680 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

UPPCO also urges residential customers needing assistance paying their bills to call Upper Peninsula 2-1-1, or 800-338-1119 from within the U.P. The resource agency can connect eligible customers with energy assistance that may be available from government entities and charities.

“We understand and are sensitive to the fact that the heating season can be difficult for many customers to keep up with payments,” said Jodi Formolo, Director of UPPCO Customer Service.

“To avoid any service disruptions, customers who are behind on their accounts should not wait to contact UPPCO. We also encourage everyone who needs financial assistance to contact 211 right away since funding assistance can be limited.”

More information on heating assistance can be found on UPPCO’s website at www.uppco.com