SCAM ALERT: Businesses being targeted with electrical utility scam

A scam claiming to be from the El Paso Electric Company is targeting businesses in El Paso.

Business owners are told their electricity will be shut off unless they pay a certain amount immediately.

The scammers tell business owners to call the company’s business department for further instruction. Upon calling, the actual recording from the company is played.

Once store owners are connected with a representative, they are told that people are already headed to the store to cut power unless they pay immediately.

Carmen Sanchez, owner of Ideal Climate, was targeted by the scam. She has told ABC-7 she was told to go to Walgreen’s or Office Depot to put the money on a moneypak credit card. The scammers told her they would only accept cash through this express payment over the phone.

She said that the representative she talked to was named Randy Hernandez. The phone number and extension he gave her to make the payment was 1-800-215-2062, ext. 1071.

Sanchez also said she was told by police that Fridays are when business are most targeted by scams.

El Paso Electric sent ABC-7 these signs to look for to avoid potential scams:

· Threat to disconnect: Scammers may aggressively tell the customer his or her utility bill is past due and service will be disconnected if a payment is not made – usually within less than an hour.

· Request for immediate payment: Scammers may instruct the customer to purchase a prepaid card – widely available at retail stores – then call them back supposedly to make a bill payment to his or her utility company.

· Request for prepaid card: When the customer calls back, the caller asks the customer for the prepaid card’s number, which grants the scammer instant access to the card’s funds, and the victim’s money is gone.

They also gave us these tips to protect yourself from a scam.

· Customers should never purchase a prepaid card to avoid service disconnection or shutoff. Utilities do not specify how customers should make a bill payment and they offer a variety of ways to pay a bill.

· If someone threatens immediate disconnection or shutoff of service, customers should hang up the phone, delete the email, or shut the door, and call their utility’s Customer Service Department to inquire about their account.

· If customers suspect someone is trying to scam them, they should hang up, delete the email, or shut the door. They should then call their utility company at the number on their monthly bill or the company’s website, not the phone number the scammer provides. If customers ever feel that they are in physical danger, they should call 911. Customers who suspect that they have been victims of fraud, or who feel threatened during contact with one of these scammers, should contact local law enforcement authorities. The Federal Trade Commission’s website is also a good source of information about how to protect personal information.

Police told ABC-7 scam artists are thieves who pose as representatives of a legitimate organization. These organizations will never call to verify or obtain personal information over the phone. If you suspect a scam, hang up the phone immediately. If you are targeted by a scam, double check your payment records and call the company directly before paying.

If you have any questions, contact El Paso Electric’s Costumer Service Numbers at (915) 543-5970 for Texas and (575) 526-5555 for New Mexico.