The Great Lakes Energy Cooperative (which covers some of the electric customers in our area) sent out this scam alert earlier this week.
“A Great Lakes Energy Cooperative member was recently contacted by phone by a person posing to be with Great Lakes Energy. The caller threatened to shut off the member’s electric service if the account was not paid within 45 minutes.
The GLE member wisely hung up and called his electric cooperative to report the incident. The member received confirmation from Great Lakes Energy that the call requesting payment was a scam.
The caller had an accent and identified himself as being part of the “Great Lakes Energy Disconnect Department.”
Any GLE member who receives a call from someone claiming to be from Great Lakes Energy and feels pressured for immediate payment or personal information is advised to hang up the phone and call their electric cooperative. Great Lakes Energy members can call 1-888-485-2537 and speak to any GLE rep. Co-op members, or any consumer, should never give out personal information, including financial account numbers or social security numbers, over the phone or internet to someone they do not know.”
It’s bad enough that we get these door-to-door people every few months who say they are from “the gas company” (making it sound like I already do business with them) and demand to see my bill so they can try to lock me into fixed rates with their company. They may be telling the truth that they could save me money, but I can’t stand their approach; anyone I’m already a customer of would already have access to the billing information needed to do their job. And this… ugh.