BLUEBONNET MEMBERS REPORTING INCREASE IN ATTEMPTED PHONE-PAYMENT SCAMS
BLUEBONNET SAYS SCAM CALLS PRIMARILY TARGETING SPANISH-SPEAKING MEMBERS
Members of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative have reported a recent increase in attempted phone scams by people claiming to represent Bluebonnet.
According to the cooperative, the fraudulent callers appear to be primarily targeting Spanish-speaking members, threatening to disconnect their power unless they make a payment with retail store gift cards.
Members who receive a fraudulent call demanding immediate payment should not pay. Bluebonnet recommends members get as much information as possible about the caller and report it by contacting the co-op’s member service representatives at 800-842-7708 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Members are also advised to contact local law enforcement.
Bluebonnet General Manager Matt Bentke said the cooperative will never contact members and threaten to immediately disconnect their power unless they make payment over the phone or by using a retail store card. He said, “That’s not the way we do business or how we treat our members.”
Bluebonnet makes at least two attempts to remind its members with delinquent accounts – once by mail and again by a courtesy phone call – within 10 days after their payment’s due date. Members who receive a call from someone claiming to represent Bluebonnet and demanding immediate payment, without first receiving a reminder in the mail or a courtesy call about their account, are told to not pay.
Bluebonnet members can check their account status through the co-op’s website, www.bluebonnet.coop, via the co-op’s mobile app or by calling 800-842-7708.