December 16, 2019

WAPA CONTINUES TO CAUTION CUSTOMERS ABOUT UNAUTHORIZED TELEPHONE CALLS SOLICITING IMMEDIATE PAYMENT AND THREATENING SERVICE DISCONNECTION

As additional iterations of telephone scams are coming to light, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority again cautions its customers to be aware of any unauthorized attempt to solicit monies for WAPA payments.

WAPA Executive Director Lawrence J. Kupfer said Monday, the Authority has received additional calls from customers reporting that they were threatened with disconnection if immediate payments were not made on their accounts.

“In a public statement on December 1, we noted that customers were receiving telephone calls from a toll-free 800 telephone number with the caller purporting to be a WAPA employee seeking immediate payment on accounts to avoid service disconnection. The scam now includes unauthorized calls from persons with specific customer account information again seeking immediate payments to avoid disconnection of service,” he said.

Kupfer reiterated that WAPA staff does not call customers to demand immediate payments or threaten disconnection. WAPA’s telephone interaction with its customers occurs after disconnection of service resulting from delinquency. Any telephone call from someone representing themselves as calling on behalf of WAPA demanding immediate payment and threatening disconnection of service is fraudulent, and not authorized by the Authority. “Those calls should be disregarded, and reported to the proper authorities.” Reports can be made to the Virgin Islands Police Department, or to WAPA’s Internal Audit Revenue Assurance Division at 340-715-6563.

Additionally, customers who do not receive their billing statement in the mail during the usual time period expected each month, should contact WAPA on St. Thomas and St. John at 340-774-3552, or on St. Croix at 340-773-2250 and report that information to a customer service representative. The representative will then verify specific account information with the customer during the call.

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority is an autonomous agency of the Virgin Islands Government which produces and distributes electricity and drinking water to residential and commercial customers in the territory. WAPA was created by the Fifth Legislature of the Virgin Islands in 1964 through Act No. 1248. Today, WAPA generates electrical power at production plants on St. Thomas and St. Croix, and distributes electrical service through smart grids to customers on St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, Hassel Island, and Water Island. Potable water is distributed to almost 13,000 customers through water lines and standpipes. WAPA also has the responsibility of installing and maintaining street lights.