KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Evergy is warning customers about scams that target customers in person and by phone.

In one of the scams, a scammer entered a business dressed in Evergy attire and offered the owner a 15% discount on its energy bill if they would pay on the spot with Cash App. The owner agreed and received a text confirmation.

Later the business was disconnected for failing to make a monthly payment. Evergy’s Connect Center discovered the scammer processed two card payments on the customer’s account that were later returned due to fraud.  

In another recent scam, scammers called a customer and said they would be disconnected if they didn’t send a payment by cash or by gift cards at Walmart or Dollar General.

According to Evergy, the customer had paid their bill the same day and was skeptical, but the scammer said they showed no payment and they owed $950.

The customer and her husband visited Evergy’s Connect Center before making any payment and found that their balance was $0.

While the customers were at the center, the scammer called again — twice. Evergy’s Connect employee answered the scammers call, and they quickly hung up.

Evergy said it will never send someone to a residence or business asking customers to pay through a third-party app, offer a discount or ask customers to pay with gift cards.

Evergy provided these tips to help in identifying an Evergy employee or contractor:

• If someone is at your door, look to see if they are driving an Evergy vehicle. 
• Verify the person is with Evergy by asking to see company identification or by calling the Customer Contact Center.
• If you can’t verify that you’re speaking with an Evergy employee, do not give them information or payment.

If you receive a suspicious phone call, hang up and contact Evergy directly and immediately. Suspicious activity should also be reported to local law enforcement.