City of Tampa Utilities issued a scam warning on October 8 after receiving multiple reports of callers impersonating utility employees and demanding immediate payment for allegedly overdue bills. In several cases, the calls appeared to come from the city's real Utilities Call Center number — a sign the scammers are spoofing caller ID.
Why it matters: Utility scams rely on urgency. The city says its real representatives will identify themselves by last name, explain the reason for the call, verify your account address and account number, and let you choose how to pay — and if you pay by credit card, they direct you to the city's own online tool rather than taking your card details over the phone.
If you get a suspicious call: hang up and call the Utilities Call Center directly at (813) 274-8811, or check your balance at utilities.tampa.gov. Anyone who believes they were targeted should also contact local police. This warning is specific to Tampa, but the same spoofing tactics show up across Florida — the habit of hanging up and calling back on a known number protects you anywhere.
