Follow our advice to avoid falling victim to a scam

The chances are you know someone who has witnessed or has fallen victim to a scam. With text messages, phone calls, door-to-door, emails, and countless other avenues of contacting people scammers have become emboldened. Not only are they aggressive but they are smart and convincing! It is important to stay vigilant. Help protect yourself and your family by staying informed, so you don’t fall victim to a scam.

Scenario

Here’s a scenario that we hear all too often. A scammer contacts one of our customers posing as an Avista employee. They achieve this by spoofing our phone number so that it’s Avista’s phone number that pops up on their caller ID. Another tactic is to arrive at their door wearing a hard hat and safety vest looking official. The scammer says the customer is late on their Avista bill and pressures them to make an immediate payment, typically through a prepaid card.

Stay vigilant

Protect yourself by knowing how to detect suspicious behavior. Hang up the phone immediately or ask the person at your door to leave. As a customer, you would not receive a phone call or email from us asking for your confidential information, such as your social security number, credit card number, banking information, or Avista account number. Avista will never contact you demanding immediate payment to avoid disconnection. Avista employees and contractors always carry an Avista identification badge.

If something sounds odd, it probably is. We’re here to help keep you safe. Give us a call at (800) 227-9187 or visit us online at myavista.com to verify the status of your account, get answers to any questions you may have, or learn about payment and assistance options.