San Bernard Electric is warning of a scam that is happening in our area. ย From their Facebook Page:
It appears that scammers are working in our service area again. Members are receiving calls from people claiming to be with SBEC and are telling members that they have 45 minutes to pay their bill or will be disconnected. They are also saying that someone is coming to change the meters. Please be careful if you receive a call from someone claiming to be from SBEC. Below, please find our billing procedures:
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San Bernard Reports Increased Fraud Attempts Targeting Its Members
San Bernard Electric Cooperative warns its members to be aware of recent attempts by people calling to trick them into making payments for supposedly delinquent accounts. The scam continues to focus on utility customers in neighboring counties and throughout Texas.
Members have received calls from a person stating that their bill was past due and payment has not been received. The caller will ask to meet with the member at a location with cash or make a payment over the phone with a retail store gift card or the power will be disconnected.
SBEC wants its members to be aware of co-op procedures in order to protect themselves from fraud. SBECโs billing procedures are as follows:
โข A bill is mailed or emailed with a due date for payment without penalties.
โข A termination notice is mailed or emailed when a payment is not received by the due date.
โข A courtesy call is made the week before termination if payment is not received.
โข At no time will a SBEC employee collect funds at any location other than the SBEC offices during business hours, Monday โ Friday, 8am to 5pm.
โข Utilizing our online account system, SMARTHUB, members can view their account status or call our office and ask about your account status 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If a SBEC member receives a phone call from someone, claiming to be from SBEC, attempting to collect a payment, DO NOT PAY and DO NOT GIVE ANY INFORMATION. SBEC members should try to get as much information about the caller as possible, including the phone number from which he or she is calling by caller ID, and call SBEC at 979-865-3171, and local law enforcement as soon as possible.
Austin County News Onlineย would like to thank Rachael Swanson Sontag for alerting us of SBEC’s Notice.
