A West Palm Beach woman is sounding the alarm after she was victimized by a new scam designed to take your money and your personal information.Lorraine Robertson said the scammers came after her when she was in mourning, having recently lost her father, Bill.“My father passed away December 12, 2023,” she said.A few weeks later, a letter came in the mail supposedly from Florida, Power and Light expressing condolences for her loss and reminding her to remove his name from the account.“My father’s name is on this letter with his FPL account number saying he’s passed,” Robertson said. “So, I think this is legitimately from FPL.”When Robertson called the number on the letter, a woman who identified herself as Anna answered.Anna told Robertson she couldn’t just change the name on the account but had to open a new account.“I did question that, but she said it was part of the process,” Robertson said. “She was very polite and professional through all of it. And, of course, getting the letter, I didn’t suspect anything.”“So what information did you give her,” WPBF 25 News reporter Ari Hait asked.“Everything! My name, my address, my social, my date of birth,” Robertson said. “Everything.”And Robertson had what she thought was proof that all of this was legitimate.She got emails from FPL confirming the closing of the old account and the opening of the new account.Robertson made a credit card payment of $367, grateful for the help taking care of this.“With all of this, my dad died, I’m crying, talking to her, pouring my heart out, terrible time right now,” Robertson said. “She’s opening up an account with at FPL.”But then something odd happened: FPL wanted more money.“I just recently got another email from FPL telling me that my account is past due, and if I don’t pay it, they’re going to shut off my electric,” Roberston said. “And I’m like, ‘What do you mean? I paid all of this money. How could my account be past due.’”That’s when Robertson started asking questions and called the FPL number she found on her bill.That’s when she talked to a person who actually works for FPL and realized she’d been scammed.The original letter is a fake.Anna is not with FPL.She’s a scammer who simply took Robertson’s personal identification and used it to open a new account on FPL’s website.The emails Robertson got were legitimately from FPL, confirming the closing of the old account and the opening of the new one.But the money and personal information she gave Anna went straight to the scammers.“They prey on you. They prey on you so that they can take anything from you,” Robertson said. “They have no regard for any life. They don’t care.”A representative from FPL confirmed the company is investigating this scam but declined to comment on the specific case.The representative said the scammers’ newest tactic is to send letters to your home or even manipulate internet searches to try and get people to call them.FPL recommends only calling them on the number printed on the bottom of an FPL bill.
A West Palm Beach woman is sounding the alarm after she was victimized by a new scam designed to take your money and your personal information.
Lorraine Robertson said the scammers came after her when she was in mourning, having recently lost her father, Bill.
“My father passed away December 12, 2023,” she said.
A few weeks later, a letter came in the mail supposedly from Florida, Power and Light expressing condolences for her loss and reminding her to remove his name from the account.
“My father’s name is on this letter with his FPL account number saying he’s passed,” Robertson said. “So, I think this is legitimately from FPL.”
When Robertson called the number on the letter, a woman who identified herself as Anna answered.
Anna told Robertson she couldn’t just change the name on the account but had to open a new account.
“I did question that, but she said it was part of the process,” Robertson said. “She was very polite and professional through all of it. And, of course, getting the letter, I didn’t suspect anything.”
“So what information did you give her,” WPBF 25 News reporter Ari Hait asked.
“Everything! My name, my address, my social, my date of birth,” Robertson said. “Everything.”
And Robertson had what she thought was proof that all of this was legitimate.
She got emails from FPL confirming the closing of the old account and the opening of the new account.
Robertson made a credit card payment of $367, grateful for the help taking care of this.
“With all of this, my dad died, I’m crying, talking to her, pouring my heart out, terrible time right now,” Robertson said. “She’s opening up an account with at FPL.”
But then something odd happened: FPL wanted more money.
“I just recently got another email from FPL telling me that my account is past due, and if I don’t pay it, they’re going to shut off my electric,” Roberston said. “And I’m like, ‘What do you mean? I paid all of this money. How could my account be past due.’”
That’s when Robertson started asking questions and called the FPL number she found on her bill.
That’s when she talked to a person who actually works for FPL and realized she’d been scammed.
The original letter is a fake.
Anna is not with FPL.
She’s a scammer who simply took Robertson’s personal identification and used it to open a new account on FPL’s website.
The emails Robertson got were legitimately from FPL, confirming the closing of the old account and the opening of the new one.
But the money and personal information she gave Anna went straight to the scammers.
“They prey on you. They prey on you so that they can take anything from you,” Robertson said. “They have no regard for any life. They don’t care.”
A representative from FPL confirmed the company is investigating this scam but declined to comment on the specific case.
The representative said the scammers’ newest tactic is to send letters to your home or even manipulate internet searches to try and get people to call them.
FPL recommends only calling them on the number printed on the bottom of an FPL bill.