Austin Energy customers targeted by scammers

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Energy is warning the public about scammers calling customers on Wednesday. 

According to tweets from the energy company, almost 100 people have received scam calls from people claiming to work for Austin Energy. The scammrs are targeting residential and business customers. 

In these cases, the scammers are asking for MoneyPaks as payment, a form of payment that Austin Energy does not accept. 

The company says it sees an increase in scam callers around the holidays.

One customer fell victim to the callers and was scammed out of more than $1,800, according to the company. The company would like to remind customers that utility companies will never ask or require a customer to purchase a prepaid debit card to avoid service shutoff.