ATLANTA, May 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- May is National Older Americans Month and to celebrate, Atlanta Gas Light is reminding its customers about the company's Senior Citizen Discount.

"Every family deserves reliable energy at a price they can afford," said Bryan Batson, president of Atlanta Gas Light. "For many older Georgians on a fixed income, the Senior Citizen Discount can offer some relief on the Atlanta Gas Light base charge."

Customers 65 years of age or older and who have a total annual combined household income of $24,980 or less are eligible for up to a $14 monthly discount on their base charge. Natural gas service must be in the senior customer's name to be eligible. To apply, seniors should complete and mail in the application found on atlantagaslight.com.

In addition, Atlanta Gas Light is cautioning seniors about scam tactics. Although there are several, a common tactic involves a customer receiving an unsolicited phone call from an individual who falsely claims to be a company representative. The scammer warns that the company will disconnect the customer's natural gas service if a payment is not made within a short timeframe.

Other tactics include scammers duplicating a company's upfront Interactive Voice Response system, so when customers call back phone numbers provided by the scammer, it appears to be legitimate. Some of these scammers also use caller ID spoofing to replicate a company's customer service number.

Below are additional tips to help identify and protect against seniors against scammers:

Red flags for scam activity

• The individual becomes angry and tells the customer his or her account is past due, and service will be disconnected if a large payment isn't made – usually within less than an hour.
• The individual instructs the customer to purchase a pre-paid debit or credit card – widely available at retail stores – then call him or her back to supposedly make a payment to the company.
• The individual asks the customer for the prepaid card's receipt number and PIN number, which grants instant access to the card's funds.

How to protect yourself

• Whenever a field service representative or one of our contractors visits your home or business, they will provide proper identification. If you have further concerns, please contact customer care at 1-800-427-5463 to confirm that a representative has been scheduled to perform work at your premises.
• Atlanta Gas Light will never call customers regarding their natural gas bill. While we maintain the pipeline infrastructure, respond to emergencies and read meters every month, we do not bill customers directly. Certified marketers sell natural gas to customers served by Atlanta Gas Light and bill their customers for usage directly.
• If you want to verify that the call is legitimate, request to have the representative confirm information about your account that only you and your marketer would know, including the date of your last payment, the amount of your last payment and your account number.
• Any customer who has doubts about the legitimacy of any call from Atlanta Gas Light should call us directly.

Any customer who suspects or experiences fraud or feels threatened during contact with an individual posing as a company representative, should contact local authorities, and then the customer care center phone number listed on their bill.

For information about natural gas safety, visit .atlantagaslight.com/safety.

About Atlanta Gas Light
Atlanta Gas Light is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Atlanta Gas Light provides natural gas delivery service to more than 1.6 million customers in Georgia. In operation since 1856, the company is one of the oldest corporations in the state. For more information, visit atlantagaslight.com.

About Southern Company Gas
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America's premier energy company.  Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.2 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with 685,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas and related home services. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines, asset management for natural gas wholesale customers and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.

SOURCE Atlanta Gas Light