Insights > Entergy Mississippi Warns Customers: National Utility Phone Scam Heating Up During Holiday Season

Entergy Mississippi Warns Customers: National Utility Phone Scam Heating Up During Holiday Season

By:

12/16/2015

It’s sad that at a time of year when most of us are spreading goodwill, there are a few who would take advantage of that. Yes, it’s the holiday season, but there are Grinches among us.

The National Utility Phone Scam, which began several years ago and has never quite gone away, is ramping up again, and Entergy Mississippi customers are among those being targeted.

This scam involves phone calls where the caller pretends to be an Entergy representative. These con artists call customers—sometimes residential but mostly business—and tell them that they have a past due electric bill that must be paid immediately or they will be disconnected. The caller then tells the customer to transfer funds electronically, sometimes through money wiring systems such as “MoneyPak” or “Green Dot.”

Despite continued efforts to inform our customers, the scam is still very convincing because new technologies allow for local utility numbers to appear on the recipient’s caller ID box.

So how can you protect yourself from falling victim?

Remember these three things:

1) While we do place courtesy calls if you are at risk for disconnection, these are recorded calls, not calls from live customer service representatives. And Entergy NEVER demands immediate payment.

2) While you can pay your Entergy bill by phone or credit card, it is ONLY through BillMatrix, a third-party vendor we use for this purpose.

3) Most importantly, you should never give your personal information to strangers. If a call sounds suspicious, hang up and call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service representative.

If you believe you are a victim of this scam, you should notify the proper authorities, such as the local police or the state attorney general’s office. If you believe your Entergy account has been affected, call 1-800-ENTERGY (1 800 368 3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service representative.

Be safe, and have a happy holiday season!