Scams in the free natural gas and electricity market: Codes that should never be given over the phone

Be wary of scams, especially now. The free energy market is now very close: It will start in a few weeks, on January 10, 2024 for gas, and from April 1, 2024 for electricity. Therefore, from next year onwards, the service defined as “protected prices”, that is, has been established by the Energy, Networks and Environmental Regulatory Authority (Arera). Here you will find out what concrete changes have occurred in the bills, what are the differences between the free market and the energy service that provides more protection. We explained in detail how it is and how the transition works. The fact is that in recent days many citizens have started looking for the best offer while waiting for the exchange rate. The problem is that energy suppliers, or even those that are supposed to be so, are looking for new customers to whom they can offer offers described as “indispensable” They have started.

Therefore, you need to be careful about possible frauds. The first useful tip to remember is that you should not make hasty decisions, especially when an operator calls on the phone who is not immediately recognizable. No authority or public body calls end customers to activate contracts. In any case, every caller always has the right to describe himself and why he is calling. If the caller then presses you and asks you to activate a contract over the phone, it is best to leave the conversation as soon as possible, or if the offer is particularly advantageous, you can always request a copy of the contract and analyze it further. then calmly..

It should also be noted that there will be no penalty if you do not enter the free market by the specified date. If the person on the phone uses this motivation to force you to sign a contract, know that they have bad intentions. What happens if we don’t switch to the free market? The state has envisaged the gradual transition to protection service to be completely automatic. This also means that you will not be left without a supplier even if you have not chosen a supplier in the free market. The same applies to sensitive issues, for which the protected market will actually continue.

It is also important to avoid giving the Pod (for electricity) and Pdr (for gas supply) codes to the requesting operator: these are alphanumeric codes marked on invoices, designed to identify the user and do not even change. when switching to another operator. Codes are important because, together with some personal data such as tax code, they are used to switch from one operator to another without interrupting service. Therefore, it is better not to provide them, especially if the operator claims to be your energy supplier and therefore should already know about them.

You can always contact Antitrust to report misconduct, fraud or unintended contract activation. It is possible to fill out the online form, send a certified email to ufficio.agcm@ pec.agcm.it or alternatively send a registered letter to: Competition and Market Authority, Piazza Giuseppe Verdi 6/A – 00198 Rome.

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Source: Today IT

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