UGI Utilities, Inc. has issued a warning to customers about sponsored online advertisements created by scammers that appear in search results and direct people to fraudulent phone numbers. The utility company reported that these deceptive ads have tricked customers into calling wrong numbers when seeking assistance, including during potentially dangerous situations involving gas leaks.
In several instances, customers who detected the smell of natural gas called the scam phone numbers listed in these sponsored ads and were misled into believing they needed to pay for leak investigation services. UGI emphasizes that there is never any cost to customers for the company to investigate potential gas leaks, and immediate evacuation followed by calling the legitimate emergency number is the proper protocol.
The Federal Trade Commission has been warning consumers about this type of scam where fraudsters create sponsored ads that appear in online searches or on social media platforms containing fake contact information. These ads typically target people searching for customer service or emergency contact numbers for various companies and organizations.
UGI serves more than 760,000 natural gas and electric utility customers and maintains that there is only one legitimate phone number for customer service and emergency reporting: 800-276-2722. The company advises that if someone suspects a natural gas leak, they should evacuate immediately to a safe distance of at least the length of a football field before calling this number or 911.
Additional information about UGI Utilities, Inc. is available at https://www.ugi.com. This scam alert highlights the growing sophistication of online fraud schemes that exploit consumers during vulnerable moments when they urgently need to contact service providers, potentially delaying critical emergency responses and exposing victims to financial exploitation.
