Central Alabama Electric Cooperative (CAEC) wants its members, as well as the general public, to be aware of a phone scam using energy-related ploys to fraudulently obtain funds or gain bank account and personal information.

A CAEC member living in the Alexander City area alerted the cooperative about a phone call received in which a caller stated that the member’s account was delinquent and unless a certain amount was paid, the service would be disconnected within 30 minutes. The member did not agree to pay the initial amount, but did pay a lesser amount the caller claimed would avoid power disruption.

This form of scamming has become common in the last few years, using the fear of power interruption to lead the victim to give out bank, credit card or other personal information or even funds to the con-artist. While this is the most prevalent form of energy scams, there are many others out there that members need to be aware of.

CAEC will never call and solicit personal information from its members and further asks that if anyone receives such a call, refuse to make payment and report the call to the co-op at 1-800-545-5735.