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Arkansas Electric Cooperatives wants to help Arkansans avoid falling victim to energy scams.
Consumers with water, gas, and electricity connections are often targets of utility scams. Scammers communicate with consumers through a variety of means, including phone calls, text messages, emails, and even in-person visits. A newer tactic is a digital attack such as hiding the caller ID number or “spoofing” to make the phone number appear to be from a trusted source.
Scammers also use fraudulent websites that look similar to a utility payment web page. These pages are often promoted on search engines to trick consumers into clicking and making a payment.
Another scam to look out for involves making calls, texts or emails claiming that you overpaid your electricity bill and will receive a cash or bank refund.
There are several red flags you can watch for to identify energy scams:
- High-pressure tactics such as creating a sense of urgency by claiming that you will be cut off if payment is not made immediately;
- If someone is using unusual payment methods such as gift cards or cryptocurrencies;
- Bad grammar, misspellings, and weird email addresses; or
- Request banking information or Social Security number by phone or email.
The 17 local electric distribution cooperatives as part of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas will never demand prompt and immediate payment and threaten to cut off service without advance notice or warning.
Your local electric cooperative will never ask for your Social Security number or banking details over the phone or via email. Each locally owned electric cooperative offers several secure payment options.
To help spread awareness, Arkansas Electric Cooperatives encourages consumers to report any potential scams to their local electric cooperatives as well as the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-482-8982.
