ATLANTA, July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power has received reports of a new scam in which criminals sell Federal Reserve Bank routing numbers to customers with instructions to use the routing numbers to pay utility and other bills from nonexistent accounts. According to a news release from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta: Federal Reserve routing numbers are used for sorting and processing payments between banks. Any video, text, email, phone call, flyer, or website that describes how to pay bills using a Federal Reserve Bank routing number or using an account at the Federal Reserve Bank is a scam.

While Georgia Power's system may initially accept a Federal Reserve Bank routing number to process a payment, the payment will eventually be rejected and the customer's account could be subject to additional late fees or possibly disconnection.

Other reminders from Georgia Power to help avoid common scams and fraud:

• Georgia Power will never ask for a credit card or pre-paid debit card number over the phone.
• Employees are not sent into the field to collect payment in person and will not ask a customer to pay anywhere other than a business office or Authorized Payment Location.
• Delete all emails that demand immediate payment or personal information or that are from a company that is not Georgia Power.
• If a customer receives a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from Georgia Power and demanding payment to avoid disconnection, they should contact the company's 24-hour customer service line at 888-660-5890.

Georgia Power continues to work with law enforcement agencies throughout the state to identify and prosecute criminals who pose as Georgia Power employees in order to defraud customers. The company encourages customers to report scams and fraud attempts to local law enforcement and to the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/. Additional information about frequent scams and how the company works to protect customers is available at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Scam.

About Georgia Power 
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.5 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, 21st century coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

SOURCE Georgia Power