A McComb business reported an Entergy scam Monday that’s been going on for several years and has apparently resurfaced.
Robbi Cox of Cox Architecture said her daughter got a call at the office from a person purporting to be from Entergy, demanding immediate payment for a supposed late bill.
“He said he was 19 minutes out from disconnecting our electricity,” Cox said.
She immediately knew it was a scam since the firm pays its bill by bank draft. But she called the number her daughter reported, and a man with a foreign accent answered.
He said he had sent out two late notices, and now Cox had to go to Rite-Aid and make payment via MoneyPak. He claimed Cox owed $982 and said new legislation authorized the method of collecting.
“I called Entergy, talked to customer service,” Cox said. “They said Entergy will never ever call you to make a payment.”
Entergy customer service representative Bill Howard concurred.
“We do not call businesses to request immediate payments,” he said. “Customers have several options in which to pay.”
Howard said the scam has been going on for several years.
“Unfortunately we have had some businesses to fall prey to the scam, and that’s very unfortunate. That’s not how Entergy operates,” he said.
Howard pointed out that Wednesday is Utilities United Against Scams day, a joint effort among utility companies and trade associations to warn customers of fraud.
“The scams are pretty much the same for all utilities: Scammers impersonating utility personnel are contacting customers and falsely threatening to disconnect or suspend service if immediate payment is not received,” he said.
Here are tips from Entergy Mississippi:
• While Entergy does place courtesy calls if you are at risk for disconnection, these are recorded calls, not calls from live customer service representatives. Entergy never demands immediate payment.
• While the caller ID may display the Entergy name and number, this is a sophisticated ruse.
• While you may pay your Entergy bill by phone or credit card, it is only through BillMatrix, a third-party vendor used for this purpose.
• You should never 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.
• 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.
• Use authorized methods and legitimate banking information to pay your Entergy bill, such as paying online, by phone, at walk-in payment centers, by bank draft and by mail.
