San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 9, 2023 – As part of a commitment to keeping its customers and communities safe, LUMA is announcing a new safety initiative, Fighting Fraud. This critical anti-fraud campaign is designed to help raise public awareness about scams and fraud attempts that are targeting utility customers across the United States and Puerto Rico. As part of the Fighting Fraud safety initiative, LUMA will be highlighting ways that customers can help keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

“Phone scams are targeting customers all over Puerto Rico and the United States, and we are determined to do all we can to help keep our customers safe from this illegal behavior. As part of our new Fighting Fraud safety initiative, LUMA will provide all our customers with important tips and additional tools so we can fight fraud together,” said Juan Fonseca, LUMA Customer Experience Manager.

To help raise public awareness across Puerto Rico, the new safety initiative will include a customer webpage outlining fraud protection tips, safety posters and flyers to share with the community, and a multifaceted social media campaign. Each of these essential communications efforts are designed to raise public awareness about these illegal scams and educate customers about the specific safety steps they can take if they are targeted by a scam. LUMA’s new Fighting Fraud webpage, which customers can visit at lumapr.com/fightingfraud, provides resources, tips to identify scam calls and instructions for reporting fraud attempts.

LUMA’s new safety effort is part of a national anti-scam initiative that seeks to protect customers from this growing fraud. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2022, there were over 2.3 million illegal scams reported nationally, and 3,351 illegal scams reported in Puerto Rico, which often involved scammers contacting customers and telling them that immediate payment was required to avoid immediate disconnection of service. The FTC shares national resources on how to avoid scams on their website, at consumer.ftc.gov/scams.

Partnering with Local Leaders in Fighting Fraud

As part of its Fighting Fraud initiative, LUMA is building on its outreach efforts and partnerships with local leaders, law enforcement authorities and communities to help raise public awareness of this important safety effort.

“Fighting fraud is a team effort, and LUMA is proud to work together with our local and community leaders, as well as the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, to help protect the people of Puerto Rico against fraudulent activity,” said Michelle Fraley, Director of Corporate Security.  “Working together, we can – and will – combat these fraudulent and illegal scams that have hurt so many families.”

Additional information on LUMA’s Fighting Fraud initiative, including how to best protect oneself from scams, is available at lumapr.com/fightingfraud or by calling LUMA at 1-844-888-LUMA (5862) and will also be shared through the MiLUMA customer portal and mobile app.

Fighting Fraud: Important Phone Safety Steps:

Throughout the campaign, LUMA will be highlighting the following safety steps:

• LUMA will never request financial information or personal details from customers over the phone.
• LUMA does NOT request payments via pre-paid debit cards, gift cards, PayPal or Venmo.
• If a customer receives any suspicious call demanding immediate payment, they should hang up the phone immediately and call the local police department to report it.
• Customers can always verify if they have payments due through the MiLUMA customer portal and mobile app, by calling LUMA at 1-844-888-LUMA (5862) or by visiting one of LUMA’s 25 customer service centers across the island.

About LUMA

LUMA is a Puerto Rican company that, since June 1, 2021, operates and manages the electric power transmission and distribution system in Puerto Rico. LUMA is a company driven by a mission to transform the electrical transmission and distribution system to provide all Puerto Ricans with the reliable, resilient, cleaner, and affordable electrical grid they deserve. As a customer-centric company, LUMA’s entire workforce of more than 3,000 employees is focused on safely delivering an exceptional customer service experience to its 1.5 million customers.