Crime

PRESS ROOM: Don’t Fall Victim To Scams From Fake Cps Energy Callers

SAN ANTONIO OBSERVER — In 2018, CPS Energy saw an increase in the number of customers reporting to have been victimized by someone representing themselves as a CPS Energy employee to steal money from them. CPS Energy urges their customers to be on full alert for individuals posing as CPS Energy employees either by phone or in person.

Published

6 years ago

June 5, 2019

CPS News Release

By CPS

San Antonio – Texas, (May 31, 2019) – In 2018, CPS Energy saw an increase in the number of customers reporting to have been victimized by someone representing themselves as a CPS Energy employee to steal money from them. CPS Energy urges their customers to be on full alert for individuals posing as CPS Energy employees either by phone or in person.

Knowing how CPS Energy operates is the first step to recognize imposter activity. CPS Energy says if customers receive calls from anyone claiming to be from the utility who threatens to cut off service if payment is not made immediately, they should hang up and call customer service directly at 210-353-2222. And if someone approaches their home or business claiming to be from CPS Energy, always ask for an employee ID. If a customer feels like they are in immediate danger, they should call 911.

“We want residential and commercial customers to protect themselves from scammers going after their hard-earned money,” said Maria Garcia, Vice President of Community Engagement and Corporate Responsibility. “The only time we will call customers is to remind them when their account is past due. However, we do not take payments over the phone.”

Payments can be made through Manage My Account (MMA), a free online portal. MMA also provides CPS Energy customers with monthly energy use information, a view of their billing statement and payment arrangements options.

Last year, CPS Energy received a combined 1,799 reports from both residential and commercial customers who fell victim to scams. In all, thieves were able to steal nearly $52,000, an increase of $20,000 from 2017.

CPS Energy employees will:

NEVER threaten to disconnect service at your home or business.
NEVER call residential or commercial customers to request payment by phone.
NEVER ask a customer to purchase credit cards or prepaid cards (for example, Amazon gift cards) and call back with payment.
NEVER ask to enter a customer’s home or business unless the customer initiates a request for service or receives prior notification.

Signs that the call is a scam:

· Threatening to cut off power. Scam artists demand quick action as a scare tactic.

· Asks customer to purchase any prepaid card to make payment.

· Once the imposter gets the card’s PIN or security number, it’s like wiring money.

The funds cannot be recovered

· Sends customer to CVS Pharmacy/Office Depot/Walgreens to make a payment

· Refuses option to pay at H-E-B, claims it takes 24 hours to receive payment.

· Claims recent payment was not received or was misapplied.

· Gives customer 30 minutes to pay or get shut-off.

· Caller claims someone from CPS Energy is on the way to turn power off.

· Asks customer for banking information.

· Caller asks customer for their account number.

· Supplies customer with an account number to apply a payment.

· Gives a toll free (i.e.: 1-800 or 1-844) number to have customer call back with

payment.

This article originally appeared in the San Antonio Observer.

CPS News Release

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Activism

Learning Life’s Lessons

Since his release over five years ago, Richard has committed himself to making a difference, particularly by reaching out to women and families who lack the presence of a father or husband. He knows he cannot undo the years lost behind prison walls, but he is determined to use his past to build a better future for others. His story mirrors that of many who have walked a similar path. Yet, it remains uniquely his own – a testament to the power of change, resilience, and the belief that even from tragedy, something good can emerge.

Published

3 days ago

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Oakland Post

Richard Johnson and son Fati. Courtesy photo.

“California’s three-strike laws gave me 2 life sentences for drug possession. After serving 28 years, mostly in solitary confinement, I am free to lead a movement to get the formerly incarcerated to give back.”

By Richard Johnson

I have written this book in hopes of being able to help others from not traveling down the path that leads to imprisonment or a cemetery. At the very beginning of writing this book, it began as a message to my son Fati Yero Gaidi, who was only two years old at the time that I was given two life sentences in prison for drug possession, under the newly implemented three-strikes-you-out law. The more that I wrote, the book began to evolve beyond its intended purpose for my son; it became something that any and everyone could utilize on their separate journeys through life challenges that we encounter. The book helped me put my thoughts, reasoning, perceptions, and views on display, while opening doors that, for the most part, were closed. The book can be purchased via Amazon. Learning life lessons.

About the Author

By Post staff

Richard “Razor” Johnson, 74, is a man whose life journey is marked by hard-earned wisdom, redemption, and an unshakable commitment to guiding the next generation. Once sentenced to life under California’s Three Strikes Law, he was released through what he calls nothing short of divine intervention. His time behind bars, particularly in Pelican Bay State Prison, gave him a new raw and unfiltered understanding of life’s hardest truths.

With the realization that time is precious and the future is shaped by the lessons we learn, Richard writes with urgency and purpose. His book—a 300-page labor of love—is dedicated to young men who may not have a father to teach them the meaning of life’s most important words. Through definitions filled with wisdom, experience, and deep personal insight, he offers direction to those who find themselves lost, just as he once was.

His words are not just lessons; they are a call to action. He hopes that by investing in young minds with wisdom and insight, they will be better equipped to navigate life’s trials, learn from their mistakes, and find their path to success. Richard “Razor” Johnson writes not just to be heard, but to help – because he knows firsthand that sometimes guidance can make all the difference.

Post publishers Paul and Gay Cobb visited Johnson in San Quentin and attended his graduation while he was in prison. He became a columnist with the Post News Group and has continued his advocacy for the formerly incarcerated by urging them to “give something back”. Johnson says he will be speaking at prisons, colleges, and media outlets to help organize voter registration and community service projects.