WINSTON-SALEM, NC - It's hard to create any kind of account these days without a security code or some kind of verification.
That's because the company wants to make sure the account doesn't already belong to someone else.
But 2 Wants 2 Know is finding out Duke Energy doesn't a similar protection for its millions of customers but rather relies on new customers to provide correct information.
A Triad homeowner recently learned that when someone mistakenly gave her address while establishing an account.
“The part that was a bit unsettling for me is that a new customer can come in and accidentally give the wrong address and all of a sudden they then have ownership over what was my account for 20 years,” Phoebe Thomas said in frustration.
After 20 years with Duke Energy she says her account now belongs to the new Duke Energy customer who gave the wrong address.
“I don't really understand how that happens,” she said.
The Duke Energy final bill notice came as a surprise considering Thomas never asked for her account to be closed.
“We recognize that this is an inconvenience, we do apologize to this customer,” Meghan Miles, a Duke Energy spokeswoman said.
Miles explained to 2 Wants 2 Know's Faith Abubey, Duke Energy couldn't keep the stranger from opening the account with Thomas' address, in part, because of state law.
“Duke Energy like other utilities does not require proof of residency, only proof of identity to establish an account. And, by law, if a customer called in, established his credit, provides an address where they need service and agrees to pay the bill, by law we have to set up your account,” Miles said.
But the situation is leaving Thomas with more questions than answers.
“They don't have a control in place to protect their current customers from the breach of account? That's crazy,” the homeowner said. “I think the consumer deserves better than that.”
The company says the control in place is the final bill notice.
Duke Energy says the chances of this happening is rare but as we just told you, it does happen.
So, how can you keep it from happening to you?
Unfortunately, you have to rely on the other person to give the correct address.
No matter which utility company you have, make sure you read your bill, statements and any correspondence from the company.