News Release > Entergy Reminds Louisiana Customers to Continue to Be Wary of Scam Artists

Entergy Reminds Louisiana Customers to Continue to Be Wary of Scam Artists

12/29/2013

BATON ROUGE, La. – Entergy reminds you of a scam still targeting customers in Louisiana. As they have since late spring, con artists give you a call citing problems with your bill payment history and saying that you must make a payment through one of several means. All this is geared to getting your personal account information and scamming money from you.

Beginning in the spring and continuing into the summer, scammers called some Entergy and other utility customers to say that their electric bill payments were past due, and that their service would be disconnected within the hour if they didn’t pay up. The customers were then directed to transfer funds electronically, sometimes through the system known as “MoneyPak.”

Other variations on this scam have since continued, even into the Christmas holidays. Recently, scammers have called customers saying that their last Entergy payment did not go through and was being returned, and the customers must purchase several “Green Dot Cards” to make immediate payment.

The scammers are targeting not only residential customers, but also business customers, so Entergy encourages everyone to be wary and heed these reminders so you don’t fall victim to the continuing scams.

• While the company does place courtesy calls if you are at risk for disconnection, these are recorded calls, and are not calls from live customer service representatives. Entergy NEVER demands immediate payment.

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

• You shouldn’t give your personal information to strangers. If a call sounds suspicious, call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service representative.

Also, you can manage your Entergy account and review account alert options to stay better informed by downloading the free Entergy smart phone app or visiting entergy.com to register for myAccount.

You should only use authorized methods and legitimate banking information to pay your Entergy bill. We offer several convenient ways:

• Pay online – For no additional charge, you may securely log in to myAccount at entergy.com to conveniently pay your bill online.

• Pay by phone – You may pay your bill by credit card, debit card or electronic check by calling Entergy’s pay-by-phone provider, BillMatrix, at 1-800-584-1241. BillMatrix charges a $2.95 service fee.

• Walk-in payment centers – Want to pay in person? You may pay your bill by cash, check or money order at an authorized Quick Payment Center in your community, or at one of the two Entergy Customer Care Centers in New Orleans. A convenience fee may apply.

• Bank draft – You can avoid late fees by having your Entergy payment automatically deducted from your checking account each month. Entergy will mail a monthly billing statement to you for your records, showing the bill amount and bank draft date.

• Pay by mail – You can send a check by U.S. Mail to the remittance address shown on your bill.

If you believe you’re 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.

Entergy's Louisiana utility companies provide electric service to more than one million customers through the operating companies Entergy Louisiana, LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. and natural gas service to more than 90,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area through Entergy Gulf States Louisiana. With operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana, the companies are subsidiaries of Entergy Corporation.

Entergy, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2013, is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than approximately 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.

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