EREC Warns Members of Phone Scam
Escambia River Electric Cooperative warns members to be aware of scam artists who may call posing as electric cooperative employees. The callers tell a member that immediate payment on their account is needed to avoid disconnection of electric service. The callers then provide instructions to send money using a third-party pay system.
EREC was made aware of the scam by members who have called in voicing their concern about the status of their account. EREC advises members if they receive a suspicious call regarding their utility bill, to get the caller’s number, then hang up and call the police. Do not give out your credit card number or other personal information over the phone without verification of the call.
Members should also contact EREC to report the incident. An EREC member service representative can confirm your bill and let you know of any problems with your account.
EREC will not call or email you for your account number or password, so do not disclose your account information. Do not assume you can trust caller ID to indicate where a caller is located. Scammers may use Internet calling technology, and the area code you see may not be their actual location.
