Multiple North Central Electric Cooperative consumers have called in to report that they received a suspicious phone call claiming to be coming from the North Central office. Scammers can be very smart and quite deceiving.
Scammers have become savvy. One of the most common tricks now is when scammers use a “spoofing” app that creates a fake caller ID to trick people into thinking they are from NCE. The scammer will tell consumers they are late on paying their bill and need to do so in the next couple of hours or their electricity will be disconnected. The scammer tells the member to head to their local convenience store to purchase a reloadable debit card and call back with the card information. 
The scammers don’t stop there. Some scammers encourage the member to deliver them cash in person at a meeting spot. Some scammers come to the member’s front door and claim they need to read their meter for money. 
It is NCE’s job to spread awareness about scams and, most importantly, to keep everyone safe. If members receive a call from a scammer claiming to be an NCE employee, immediately report it to the cooperative. It’s important to remember that when members are delinquent in paying their bill, they will first receive written correspondence from the cooperative followed by a phone call. Want more tips for avoiding scams? Check out NCE’s website at ncelec.org and keep an eye on the cooperative’s social media for updates.