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By Johanna Gardener • Published: 08 Dec 2024 • 9:00 • 2 minutes read
EDP issues warning to customers regarding the rise in SMS scam texts Credit:Shutterstock:Tero Vesalainen
Portuguese energy company EDP is warning customers of a scam whereby fraudulent urgent debt warnings are being sent via SMS text message.
Watch out all customers of EDP as the smell of a scam is in the air. The Portuguese energy company based in Lisbon, is warning customers to not be beguiled by SMS text messages, which seem to be circulating, demanding payments of false energy debts to EDP.
According to data released by EDP Comercial, there were about 2,000 fraud attempts reported before mid-November alone. This is an increase on the 1,700 fraudulent messages received in the same period in 2023, showing a worrying upwards trend. In October, attempted scams skyrocketed to over 3,000, which again reflects an increase of around 65 per cent from the 1,800 reported the previous year.
EDP Comercial launched a statement on the matter saying: “In the months of October and November, EDP Comercial recorded a significant increase in reports by customers of fraud attempts, at various stages of the energy bill payment process and invoking the company’s name in order to obtain a payment, allegedly due to EDP, which does not exist.” The messages are targeting numbers of customers on an unprecedented upwards scale and are taking advantage of those who might not be au fait with how EDP usually contacts its consumers for example, the elderly.
The scam is not a complex strategy and easily fools customers. It involves a simple text message warning customers of unpaid debts complete with a link or reference to make the payment in order to avoid fines or power cuts.
Responding to the issue, EDP urges customers to delete any messages of this calibre and to report the case to the police if possible. Hopefully at some point, the source of the scam can be traced. EDP Comercial has been trying to send widespread warnings especially to more vulnerable groups of society with security messages. This is also true in areas of high scam reports where an additional SMS is being remitted warning of the dangers.
A final warning from EDP is that customers remain alert and warn others of these fraudulent practices. They have issued the following two recommendaitons:
– Be wary of messages that require urgent payments, especially if they contain links.
– Do not click on suspicious links and always confirm the authenticity of messages through official EDP channels.
– Consult your invoices directly in the customer area on the company’s website or app.
Stay safe!
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Originally from Manchester, UK and with a degree in English with Modern Foreign Languages, she has been a permanent resident in Spain for the past 12 years. Many of these years, she has spent working as a secondary school teacher, as well as in journalism, editing and marketing. She currently lives in the historic centre of Malaga, where she enjoys writing, walking and animals.
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