Energy scams unmasked
July 1, 2024
In today’s digital world, unfortunately scams are inevitable. Scammers are more sophisticated than ever before and use a variety of methods to effectively trick unsuspecting individuals into giving them money or providing their personal information.
Members of electric cooperatives have been long-time targets for scams. That’s why I would like to share some tips to keep you and your personal information safe.
Types of utility scams: Scammers typically disguise themselves as cooperative employees. They will claim your bill is past due and threaten to disconnect service if payment isn’t received immediately.
Scammers want to convince you that this “urgent” situation can be remedied with sus¬picious payment methods like gift cards or cryptocurrency. Attacks via text messages and emails are becoming increasingly more common, but many scammers still make contact through in-person visits and phone calls, too.
These days, the old practice of simply screening your calls may not work. Using a practice called “spoofing,” scammers can make the identification on your caller ID appear to be from a trusted source. Spoofing makes it easier to deceive you and more difficult to immediately verify the call.
Perhaps the cleverest tactic that I’ve seen is a new scam that involves calls, text messages or emails claiming you overpaid your electric bill and will receive a cash or banking refund. It’s aimed at stealing your personal information, which can compromise your finances and privacy.
Spotting a scam: Look for these red flags to identify an energy scam:
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High-pressure tactics, like claiming your electricity or other services will be dis¬connected if a payment isn’t made immediately.
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Unusual payment methods.
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Emails or text messages that contain poor grammar, spelling errors and odd email addresses.
Palmetto Electric will never demand an immediate payment or threaten to discon¬nect your service without prior notice. We give advance notification and work diligently with our members to avoid disconnects.
Palmetto Electric offers several secure payment options including in-person at any of our four district offices, online through MyEnergy Online, and via scheduled payments.
Avoiding scams: Whether in-person, over the phone or online, always be suspicious of an unknown individual claiming to be a Palmetto Electric employee and requesting banking or other personal information.
If you’re ever in doubt about a potential energy scam, please contact us directly so we can assist. We want to help protect you and our community against scams, and by notifying us, you can create the first line of defense.
A. Berl Davis Jr.
President and CEO