Fraudsters will sometimes contact you by phone, email or text pretending to be an employee or representative of FortisAlberta. We want you to be aware of the types of scams out there and what you can do to protect yourself and your personal information.
Identifying a Scam
Phone calls and texts: Fraudulent calls or texts may come from a 1-800 phone number or display a legitimate company phone number. Individuals carrying out these scams are calling customers and are demanding immediate payment in order to avoid disconnection. The caller then suggests that to avoid disconnection, the customer must purchase a gift card immediately and call back to provide the serial number on the back of the card.
FortisAlberta does not collect credit card or bank account information over the telephone, by email, or take payment as we are not the retailer. If you receive a call or an email from someone representing Canadian Collective Services or FortisAlberta, and you question the authenticity of the call, you should hang up and call FortisAlberta at 310-WIRE (9473) or 1-866-717-3113.
If an account is in arrears, retailers will send several notices through the mail asking for payment and will usually use an automated dialer to remind customers to make a payment before a disconnection will occur. Additionally, in Alberta there are regulations preventing your power from being disconnected at any time when the temperature is below zero degrees Celsius within a 24-hour period.
What You Can Do
We are asking customers who receive these suspicious call to:
- not give out any personal information
- report the call to one of the following:
o FortisAlberta at 1-866-717-3113
o Your retailer
o Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) by email or at 310-4822
Power Outage Tips
When the lights go off, check your fuse and breaker first, then check with your neighbours.