Consumer Affairs Warns Middle Tennessee Residents About NES Scam

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance’s (TDCI) Consumer Affairs Division is warning Middle Tennessee consumers to be wary of scammers claiming to represent Nashville Electric Service (NES) who are threatening customers with service disconnection unless they receive payment.

TDCI has recently been notified that these scammers are calling customers and ordering them to make a payment immediately over the phone or their service will be disconnected within 30-45 minutes. Scammers have targeted several different customer demographics, including small businesses, elderly and non-English speaking customers. The scammers are so sophisticated that they’re using phone “spoofing” technology to make it appear that they’re calling from NES.

NES, which distributes energy to over 370,000 customers in Middle Tennessee, does not proactively call customers requesting personal information such as bank account or credit card numbers.

If you receive a phone call claiming your electricity is about to be disconnected and a payment is required, do not give out any personal information, even if the Caller ID number appears to be from NES.

Tips to Protect Yourself from Scammers:

If someone calls threatening to cut off your power if you don’t pay, hang up. This is a scam.

Never give personal or financial information to an unsolicited caller.

If someone in a utility uniform shows up at your door for unscheduled service, check for proper identification and call NES to verify their information.

If you have doubts about a phone call, email, text or on-site visit, give NES a call first before taking any action. Call NES’ Customer Relations department at (615) 736-6900

If you think you are a victim of a scam, contact the local police.

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