An article published Oct. 21 in Electric Cooperative Today reported a utility scam involving a phone call to a consumer where a perpetrator is posing as a co-op or utility employee seeking immediate payment for service in order to avoid disconnection. By falsifying caller-ID — a technique known as “spoofing” — the scammer’s call appears to be from the utility. Consumers are threatened with having service disconnected unless they buy a pre-paid debit card or use an online payment service to pay their bill at once. Consumers are then directed to dial a toll-free number and provide the payment information, enabling the scammer to steal their money. KREMC members are encouraged to call the co-op at 574-267-6331 or 800-790-7362 if they are suspicious of calls received regarding their KREMC accounts. Any KREMC customer service representative calling your home will already know your account number and/or amount due on your account. Additionally, in most cases when a meter is subject to imminent disconnection, a service technician will already be at the location. If no KREMC personnel are on site, be aware the call may be part of a scam, the co-op warns. Customers are advised to hang up and call the cooperative at the numbers listed above. KREMC is a member-owned Touchstone Energy® electric cooperative serving more than 17,000 customers throughout Kosciusko County and into surrounding counties.
