LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Entergy Arkansas is warning customers of possible search engine scams going on in the state.
The company explained that many customers turn to search engines when they look for quick answers to their questions regarding utility services. They also said that scammers are aware that people do this and they plot different ways to take advantage of customers' trust in online resources.
One scam has been duping customers with a phone number and website that look legitimate but are actually a trap. Customers use incorrect numbers found online to pay for their bills and the person on the other end of the phone is making fraudulent charges.
In some instances, scammers have used the victim's information to create an account with Entergy which has resulted in multiple charges to the person's account.
Therefore Entergy Arkansas is urging customers to only depend on information from legitimate Entergy websites to stop, start or move service, pay their bill, or access any other account management programs.
Customers can also call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service person to create an account or to ask questions about their current account.
They are offering several tips to help protect yourself from scammers:
- Don't use unauthorized payment methods. You should only use authorized payment options that are provided on www.myEntergy.com to make a bill payment transaction.
- Never give out your banking information by email or by phone. Entergy does not demand banking information by email or phone or force you to provide this information to a representative as your only option.
- Don’t pay any Entergy bill with a gift card, cash reload card, wiring money, or cryptocurrency. They said that Entergy does not demand or accept gift cards like iTunes or Amazon, cash reload cards like MoneyPak, Vanilla, Reloadit, or cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of a scam is encouraged to notify the local police, the state attorney general’s office, or the Better Business Bureau. For more information, please click here.