Customers Warned of Electricity Scam

WOOD COUNTY — An electric company in Wood county is warning its customers to look out for scammers. KETK reports more and more scammers are scaring customers into coughing up their personal information. Wood county electric cooperative is one of the latest companies having to deal with this mess. WCEC Director of Communications Paige Eaton says, “We were notified by a couple of members who called us and wanted to know if we were actually requesting credit card information over the phone and if their bills were in jeopardy.”

Within the past week, WCEC members have been receiving phone calls from these scammers demanding their credit card information and threatening to turn off their electricity if they don’t comply. Eaton says, “That’s how we first learned about it…through savvy members that called us to question the veracity of the calls they received.” Eaton adds that other utility businesses in Texas and across the U.S. are also reporting the same type of scams.

The Better Business Bureau’s Kaylen Burgess says, “Scammers typically use scare tactics, and right now it’s very hot, and nobody wants to have their electricity cut off, so that could be frightening to someone and make them want to give over their credit card.” Burgess advises customers to try to keep records of the bills they’ve paid.