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Florence Utilities Warns Customers About Shutoff Scam: What Local Families Should Know
A threatening phone call about having your electricity or other utilities disconnected can be frightening, especially when you’re already worried about making ends meet.
That’s why Florence Utilities is warning customers about a scam currently targeting people in the area.
WAFF 48 reported on September 23 that a scammer has been calling Florence Utilities customers while pretending to work for the utility. The caller reportedly threatens to disconnect the customer’s service unless a payment is made immediately. In some cases, customers have reportedly been asked for as much as $2,000.
Florence Utilities officials say customers should be suspicious of anyone calling and demanding immediate payment to keep their service from being disconnected.
Florence Utilities told WAFF it will never call customers and demand immediate payment over the phone.
If you receive a call like this, don’t let the threat of losing your utilities pressure you into making an immediate payment or giving someone your financial information.
Don’t Let a Shutoff Threat Pressure You into Paying a Scammer
Utility scams work because they create urgency. Someone who believes the electricity, gas, or water is about to be disconnected may act before taking the time to verify whether the call is legitimate.
If someone contacts you claiming to represent Florence Utilities and demands immediate payment, don’t provide your debit card number, credit card number, bank account information, or other financial information.
Instead, end the call and contact Florence Utilities yourself using contact information you know is legitimate, such as the telephone number on your regular bill or the City of Florence’s official website.
Florence Utilities lists its Customer Service number as 256-760-6512. Customers with questions about late payments, extensions, disconnections, or reconnections can also contact the Collections Department at 256-760-6525.
What If You Really Are Having Trouble Paying Your Utility Bill?
Unfortunately, sometimes the utility bill itself, rather than the telephone call, is the problem.
Florence Utilities provides information about several programs and community organizations that may be able to help qualifying customers who are struggling with their bills.
One resource is the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides assistance with home energy costs to eligible households. In Lauderdale County, LIHEAP assistance is available through the Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama.
Florence Utilities also lists several local organizations that may provide assistance, including the Salvation Army, Shoals Dream Center, St. Vincent de Paul, and other community resources.
If you’re temporarily struggling to pay your utility bill, these resources are worth exploring before the situation gets worse.
When the Utility Bill Is Only Part of the Problem
Sometimes one overdue bill isn’t really the problem.
The electric bill is due. So is the car payment. The mortgage or rent needs to be paid. Credit-card balances keep growing. Medical bills may be sitting on the kitchen counter, and groceries, insurance, and other everyday expenses still have to come out of the same paycheck.
Eventually, there simply isn’t enough money to pay everything.
Financial problems can develop for many reasons. A job loss, reduced work hours, illness, divorce, unexpected home or automobile expense, or months of household expenses increasing faster than income can gradually turn a manageable budget into an impossible one.
When that happens, families often begin deciding which bill gets paid this month and which one must wait.
If you’ve reached that point, it may be time to look at your entire financial situation rather than trying to solve one overdue bill at a time.
Are You Moving Money Around Just to Stay Current?
There are some warning signs that financial problems may be becoming more serious.
You may find yourself using a credit card to pay for groceries because your paycheck went toward other bills.
You may make only the minimum payment on one credit card so you can pay another.
Maybe you’ve taken out a personal loan or payday loan to catch up, only to discover that you now have another monthly payment.
Or perhaps you’re paying the mortgage and car payment but letting medical bills and credit cards fall further behind.
When you’re constantly moving money from one place to another just to get through the month, the problem may no longer be about budgeting.
It may be a debt problem.
Can Bankruptcy Help with Utility Bills and Other Debt?
Bankruptcy isn’t the right answer for everyone, and having one high utility bill certainly doesn’t mean someone needs to file bankruptcy.
But the situation can be different when overdue household bills are combined with credit-card debt, personal loans, medical bills, collection accounts, garnishments, repossession threats, or problems keeping up with a mortgage.
At that point, it may be worth learning about all of your options.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy may allow qualifying consumers to eliminate many types of unsecured debt and receive a financial fresh start.
Chapter 13 bankruptcy works differently. It generally allows people with regular income to reorganize debts through a court-approved repayment plan. Depending on the circumstances, Chapter 13 can also be an important option for someone trying to address past-due obligations while protecting a home, vehicle, or other property.
Every family’s financial situation is different. Talking with an attorney doesn’t mean you have decided to file bankruptcy. It simply allows you to understand what options may be available.
Are Your Bills Becoming Harder to Keep Up With?
If you’re falling behind on more than one bill, you don’t have to wait until you’re facing a collection lawsuit, wage garnishment, repossession or foreclosure notice to find out what options you have.
The bankruptcy attorneys at the Bond & Botes Florence office can review your financial situation, answer your questions, and explain the debt-relief options that may be available to you.
Schedule a free, confidential consultation with a Florence bankruptcy attorney.
Local Bankruptcy Help for Florence and Lauderdale County
The Bond & Botes Florence office is located at:
Bond & Botes Law Offices
121 S. Court Street
Florence, Alabama 35630
Phone: (256) 760-1010
Our Florence attorneys help individuals and families in Florence, Lauderdale County, and surrounding Northwest Alabama communities who are struggling with debt.
Those financial problems may involve credit cards, medical bills, collection lawsuits, wage garnishments, repossession, foreclosure, or simply more monthly debt than the household income can reasonably support.
The first step doesn’t have to be filing bankruptcy.
The first step can simply be finding out what your options are.
Talk With a Florence Bankruptcy Attorney
If financial problems have grown beyond one overdue bill, we can help you look at the complete picture.
Our attorneys can explain how Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 work, discuss other options that may be available, and help you determine the next step that makes sense for your individual situation.
