PINEVILLE, La. — Today is Utility Scam Awareness Day, and Cleco is reminding its customers to be on the lookout for fraudulent phone calls, text messages, e-mails and other tactics that scammers are using to try to get your personal and financial information.
Cleco is a member of Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS), a coalition of more than 150 U.S. and Canadian utilities working together to raise awareness of common and emerging scams.
UUAS has successfully helped shut down nearly 13,000 toll-free numbers used by scammers to target utility customers.
“We can all be a target for these types of scams especially in a digital society,” said Kristi Moore, director of customer operations. “Utility scammers are now becoming increasingly sophisticated, and Cleco is committed to raising awareness and educating our customers on these schemes to prevent them from becoming a victim.”
“Utility impostor scammers continue to grow more sophisticated in their tactics. Increasingly, we are seeing scammers use digital methods that target both younger and older generations. We encourage customers to stop and verify any unusual utility company requests before making a payment, regardless of whether the customer is contacted via phone, internet, or in person,” according to UUAS Executive Director Monica Martinez.
How Cleco customers can protect themselves:
Slow down
Take your time. Scammers try to pressure customers to act quickly. Remember the following:❖ Cleco never asks customers for their personal banking information over the phone.
❖ Cleco never calls customers to request immediate payment or to request payment using a prepaid debit card, gift card, cryptocurrency, or a third-party mobile digital payment application.
Verify
Scammers often pose as utility company employees. If customers receive a phone call, text message, e-mail or knock on the door, they should contact Cleco directly to verify the information using one of the following communication channels:
❖ Phone: 1-800-622-6537
❖ Online: www.cleco.com (Contact Us page) or the company’s online customer information system, MyAccount
❖ In-Person: Local customer service office
Common scams:
- Disconnection Deception
Scammers call threatening to disconnect your service and demand immediate payment via prepaid cards. - Overpayment Tactic
Scammers call and claim that you have overpaid your utility bill and that you need to provide personal bank account information or a credit card number to facilitate a refund. - Door Knocking Impostor
Door-to-door scammers pose as utility workers to gain entry or access to unsuspecting victims' homes. - Power Restoration Charge
Scammers call offering to restore power faster for a fee after a severe storm that caused widespread outages. - Identification Attack
Instead of directing victims to call a 1-800 number, scammers direct callers to press 1 to collect more data in an effort to get your personal information. - Number Spoofing
Scammers will spoof a callback number that closely resembles the utility's number.
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