Please be wary of energy bill scammers. They often pretend to be utility representatives to steal your money or identity. Be wary of callers who threaten to disconnect your service unless you share financial account information or use an online payment service to pay your bill immediately. Tipmont REMC will NEVER call and ask for sensitive personal information over the phone. If you have questions about your account or the legitimacy of a utility company service or offer please call us at (800) 726-3953.

The facts:

• If your account is past due, you will receive a written notice of your account status, with instructions on how to avoid disconnection of service.  
• While our representative may call a customer in order to remind them that a payment is due, the representative would explain how a payment can be made using our established payment options. We will NEVER demand payment over the phone, in person, or at a particular physical location.
• Our utilities do not accept prepaid debit cards or wire transfers as payment, and our representatives will not demand your bank information or credit card number over the phone. 

Common scam red flags:

• The scammer becomes angry and tells the customer his or her account is past due and service will be disconnected if a large payment isn’t made – usually within less than an hour.
• The scammer instructs the customer to purchase a pre-paid debit or credit card – widely available at retail stores – then call him or her back to supposedly make a payment to the utility.
• The scammer asks the customer for the prepaid card’s receipt number and PIN number, which grants instant access to the card’s funds.

What you should do:

• If you receive a suspicious call, hang up immediately. 
• Be aware that scammers often use Caller ID spoofing software to misrepresent the source of a phone call, or provide you with a fake "verification" phone number. These call-back numbers may even include exact replicas of company greetings and hold messaging. If you would like to verify your account status, always call our Member Service department using the numbers on our website, or log in to your account on our website.  
• If a person appears at your door demanding payment, do not allow them into your home, and do not provide them any personal information.
• If you believe you have been a victim of this scam, please contact your local police department or your state attorney general’s office, and report telephone scams to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.
• Tipmont will NEVER require its members to purchase prepaid debit cards or money orders to avoid an immediate disconnection.