Why Third-Party Verification?
Protect your customers. Protect your book. Protect your brand.
Third-party verification (TPV) is the recognized standard for preventing fraudulent service signups and ensuring customers fully understand what they’re signing up for in plain English.
TPV may also be used in lieu of a wet signature as legally binding authorization in some scenarios, and is commonly used in the competitive retail energy industry. It is a required part of the enrollment process in most states. Though exact requirements differ slightly, state public utility commissions require TPV to protect against three (3) major types of potential fraud.
Slamming
This is the unethical tactic of signing up customers for service without their knowledge or authorization. In many situations, consumers don’t discover they have become victims to this practice until they get an energy bill showing they have a new supplier. This risk is heightened in markets where utility account numbers are obtainable through eligible customer lists (ECLs) or other semi-public databases (such as TX ESIIDs).
Coercion
This fraudulent behavior involves intimidation; usually the victims are the elderly. This can involve forcing someone to sign up because they feel physically intimidated, though more often a customer enrolls reluctantly just to stop the constant hounding by the salesperson.
Misrepresentation
This fraudulent behavior involves pretending to be another utility, or lying about savings that can be obtained through switching suppliers. A fake utility representative may solicit utility account information in the name of signing someone up for a government program that reduces energy bills or offering a free efficiency audit. Alternatively, the salesperson may make false statements about increasing utility rates, or to the extreme, the possibility of complete shut off if the customer does not enroll. Misrepresentation also includes misleading the customer about the terms and conditions of their enrollment, including false promises of guaranteed savings versus the utility and failing to disclose early termination fees and other charges.
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General Inquiries:
508-879-3151
Help Desk:
855-374-3571
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