The City of Homestead would like to alert its residents about scams that have been reported by Homestead Public Services customers. A supposed utilities representative calls a home or business stating that they are with FPL and begin informing customers about rebates for putting solar panels on their houses and trying to get personal information. The City of Homestead does not have this program and will not call to ask for personal information or payments over the phone.
The call has been reported as coming from a “cloned number” that shows on Caller ID as the HPS Customer Service number (305) 224-4800. This is not a legitimate call from HPS or FPL.
Under no circumstance does Homestead Public Services ever call its customers to request a payment over the phone. If you receive a call from someone stating they represent Homestead Public Services (water, sewer, electric, or solid waste) and they ask you to provide them payment information over the phone, we recommend that you terminate the call and contact Homestead Customer Service at (305) 224-4800. We urge all our customers to never provide their personal information to strangers or provide payment when they receive a call.
If you think you may have been a victim of this or another scam, you may contact the authorities listed below:
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs: 1-800-HELP-FLA
• Financial Crimes Enforcement Network: 1-800-767-2825
• Federal Trade Commission: 1-877-FTC-HELP