(Southaven, MS) Crooks will stop at nothing to steal your money, even if it includes dropping the president’s name.
Officials with Entergy say there’s a new scam making the rounds.
Thieves are sending out flyers, posting to Facebook and even going door to door telling customers the White House is offering utility credits.
Well, it’s not true, they’re just out to steal identities.
Entergy Customer Service Manager George Cossar said the scammers convince the customers they’ll receive the credit (or payment) by first using information associated with their social security number to make a payment.
The payment is then run through a bogus bank, routing number, so it won’t be properly processed.
In the end, the customer will have given up personal information and still owe their power bill payment. “Protect your personal information at all times, be aware that this is going on and don’t give out your social security number or any other of your personal information,” said Cossar.
He said Entergy had about 200 bogus payments that were actually processed.
He said they’re working with those customers to correct the problem.
Cossar said Entergy reps were able to catch nearly 2,000 that almost went through.
Cossar said the scam began circulating in Texas and Louisiana.
News Channel 3 also took calls from Mississippi residents about the problem.
Late Thursday, MLGW issued a similar warning for its customers.
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Attention Entergy Customers
Entergy Mississippi Inc. is warning customers about a scam that attempts to obtain personal information from customers that will allegedly be used to pay the customer’s Entergy bill. Scammers have visited customers in person, posted fliers and used social media and texting to send messages that the U.S. President will provide a credit or directly pay their utility bill.
We urge customers to not give their personal information to strangers and not to use the bogus payment method the scammers are promoting.
Authorized methods of paying your Entergy bill include:
- Pay online at entergy.com.
- Pay by phone with a credit card by calling 1-800-584-1241.
- Walk-in payment centers – Pay your bill in person with cash, check or money order at one of the authorized Quick Payment Centers in your community
- Auto pay bank draft.
- Pay by mail – Send check by U.S. Mail.
Customers who believe they are a victim of this scam can notify the proper authorities, such as the local police, the state attorney general’s office, the Better Business Bureau or other agencies.
If they believe their Entergy Mississippi account has been affected, they should call 1‑800‑ENTERGY (1‑800‑368‑3749) to speak with a customer service representative.
