Sam Houston Electric Cooperative is warning its members about a scam involving prepaid Green Dot Visa and MasterCard debit cards. Callers claiming to represent Sam Houston EC have been contacting customers and threatening to disconnect their electric service. The caller tells Cooperative members to make a payment by purchasing a Green Dot debit card.
“The scammers may even tell consumers where they can purchase a Green Dot card,” said Keith Stapleton, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative chief communications officer.
The Cooperative member is then told to call another phone number; when the member gives the card information over the phone, the scam artist cashes in the monetary value of the Green Dot card.
Sam Houston EC members who have received a phone call from an unauthorized source may call their local law enforcement agency or the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP.
According to Stapleton, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative has received a number of phone calls from members who have been targeted by this scam.
“We don’t want our members to lose their hard-earned money to a scam artist,” Stapleton said. “If members receive a phone call, and they are unsure about whether or not it is legitimate, they should hang up and call the Cooperative directly at 1-800-458-0381. No one should ever provide financial or account information to unauthorized callers.”
