The City of Tampa is warning residents about a phone scam

The City of Tampa is warning residents about a phone scam targeting utility customers, after receiving multiple reports of callers pretending to be city employees and demanding immediate payment for supposedly overdue bills.

According to city officials, residents have reported receiving phone calls from individuals claiming to work for City of Tampa Utilities. The callers tell customers they have outstanding balances and pressure them to make payments immediately over the phone.

What makes the scam particularly concerning is that some calls appear to originate from the city’s actual Utilities Call Center phone number.

Officials believe scammers may be using a technique known as caller ID spoofing, which allows them to disguise their phone numbers and make calls appear to come from legitimate organizations.

How the Scam Works

The suspected scammers contact residents, claim their utility accounts are overdue and demand immediate payment.

By making the calls appear to come from an official city number, they attempt to convince customers that the payment requests are legitimate.

City officials are urging residents not to trust a caller simply because the phone number displayed looks familiar.

What Tampa Residents Should Know

The City of Tampa says legitimate utility representatives follow specific procedures when contacting customers.

Employees identify themselves by their last names, explain the reason for calling and verify account information.

If a customer chooses to pay by credit card, city representatives direct them to the appropriate online payment system. They do not collect credit card information over the phone.

What to Do if You Receive a Suspicious Call

Residents who receive unexpected calls demanding immediate utility payments should hang up and contact City of Tampa Utilities directly at (813) 274-8811.

Customers can also verify their account balances through the city’s official website at utilities.tampa.gov.

Anyone who believes they have been targeted by the scam is encouraged to contact the Tampa Police Department.

The city is reminding customers that taking a few moments to verify a payment request could prevent them from becoming victims of fraud.