A man from Arizona received a bill for over $500 for electricity in Texas, a state he has never lived in. He discovered that his identity was stolen and used to open an electric account. This story highlights the growing issue of identity theft and its impact on the electric utility industry.
NBC 5 Responds to a consumer fighting a more than $500 electric bill , he says, doesn’t belong to him. He lives in Arizona but learned his identity was used to power a home in North Texas . Read on for what happened and why some electric companies say this type of fraud is growing.More than a thousand miles away in Phoenix, Derrik Posthumus took a call about an overdue, Texas -sized electric bill .“I get a call from collections and they're saying, you owe us $593 for electricity.
I'm, like, huh?” Posthumus said. The caller said Posthumus owed Discount Power for service in Euless, Texas. Posthumus said he’s never lived in Texas.Posthumus said he filed a report with the FTC and tried to reach someone at the service address in Euless, “I was trying to be the investigator, but it's very hard when you're in another state.” After Posthumus contacted NBC 5 Responds, we connected with Discount Power, part of NRG Energy. It told us Posthumus was a victim of ID theft. “We’re actively working to protect customers and combat against this type of scam. When instances of fraudulent enrollment occur, our escalated issues team works with the customer to offer a quick resolution of the issue,” a spokesperson wrote. Discount Power adds, “We’ve advised the customer that he is not responsible for the charges and have notified the credit reporting agency.” Posthumus said he’s frozen his credit, changed his passwords and is watching for any sign his name is used to cash in.Posthumus said he dug into his junk mail and found an agreement for a new electric service in Houston. We contacted that electric company, Flagship Power. It told us Flagship Power never started the service because it suspected fraud. Tom Schmitt, co-founder of Flagship Power told NBC 5 Responds, that this type of scheme costs electric companies millions.Reporter Diana Zoga asked, “Help us understand who loses in this situation.” “You do,” Schmidt sai
Identity Theft Fraud Electric Bill Utility Scam Arizona Texas
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Texas Electric Bill Sent to Arizona Man, Victim of Identity TheftDerrik Posthumus, residing in Phoenix, Arizona, received an electric bill for $593 from Discount Power for service in Euless, Texas, a state he has never lived in. Upon investigation, it was discovered that Posthumus was a victim of identity theft and the bill was mistakenly sent to him. Discount Power confirmed that Posthumus was not responsible for the charges and has taken steps to protect him from further harm.
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Arizona Man's Identity Stolen to Power Texas HomeA man from Arizona, Derrik Posthumus, received a call about a $593 electric bill for a home in Texas, a state he has never lived in. After investigating, Posthumus discovered his identity was used to open an electric account in his name, leading to a case of identity theft. He contacted NBC 5 Responds for help, and the electric company, Discount Power, confirmed Posthumus was a victim of fraud and took steps to resolve the issue.
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Identity Theft Leads to Huge Electric Bill for Arizona ManA man from Arizona received a $593 electric bill for a home in Texas, despite never living there. He discovered his identity was stolen and used to set up the fraudulent account.
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Identity Theft Leads to Bogus Electric Bill for Arizona ManDerrik Posthumus received a $593 electric bill from Discount Power for a home in Euless, Texas, despite never living in the state. Posthumus discovered his identity was used to open an account, becoming a victim of identity theft. After contacting NBC 5 Responds, Discount Power confirmed the fraud, advised Posthumus he was not responsible for the charges, and notified the credit reporting agency. Posthumus is now taking steps to protect his identity and has reported the incident to the FTC. He also discovered a similar attempted service opening with Flagship Power in Houston, which suspected fraud and did not activate the account.
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Man's Identity Used to Open Electric Account in TexasDerrik Posthumus, living in Arizona, received a collection call for a $593 electric bill in Texas for a service he never used. Posthumus discovered his identity was stolen and used to open an account with Discount Power in Euless, Texas. After contacting NBC 5 Responds, Discount Power confirmed Posthumus was a victim of ID theft, stating he was not responsible for the charges and they had notified the credit reporting agency. Posthumus took steps to protect himself from further fraud, including freezing his credit and changing his passwords.
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Man's Identity Stolen to Power Texas HomeDerrik Posthumus from Arizona received a call for an overdue electric bill from Discount Power in Texas. Posthumus never lived in Texas. After contacting NBC 5 Responds, he found out his identity was stolen. He was advised by Discount Power that he is not responsible for the charges.
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