It appears that Villagers who are SECO Energy customers are being targeted by scammers.
The company has reported an increase in reports from members of the community who have been targeted by both live and automated robo calls. The Villagers say the scam callers are demanding payment within 30 minutes or service will be disconnected. And some callers have said a truck is in the area to collect cash payments or payments can be made via PayPal.
The scam appears to be a boots-on-the ground effort to collect cash, money cards or PayPal funds, SECO officials say. The scams have been identified as a Villages-targeted effort and SECO has notified law enforcement.
SECO does not collect money in the field or call to threaten disconnection of service if payment isn’t rendered. SECO does not disconnect service after regular business hours or on the weekend, officials say.
If SECO members are contacted and callers indicate someone is in the area to collect payment, those customers should call their local law enforcement agency immediately to report it. An impersonator on the phone often tries to make a scam believable by providing a name, an employee identification number and pretending to know pertinent account information. But SECO officials say customers shouldn’t fall for the ruse, nor should they ever provide personal financial information.
In the field, SECO employees carry company identification and drive company vehicles with the SECO Energy logo prominently displayed. And SECO authorized contractor vehicles are marked as such and display the SECO logo.
Contract employees carry SECO-issued contractor Identification. If you are approached by a SECO employee or contractor, please ask to see the person’s ID. If you don’t have an appointment with a SECO employee, don’t answer the door and call law enforcement immediately.
For more information on scams, visit secoenergy.com and click the Scams banner.