It was reported to the Sharp County Sheriff’s Office of a new scam that is currently taking place in our area.
The caller states they are from Entergy, or the Co-Op and they are showing the account holders account to be pasted due and that a service person is scheduled to shut the power off in a very short time, then proceeds to give instructions on how to fix the account. The caller even states where the local drop box for payment is accepted. The call sounds extremely legitimate due to the fact that they have all of the account holder’s information.
If you receive a call stating you have an account that is past due, please hang up and call a number that you are familiar with and that is known to be associated with the company that claims to be calling you. This will ensure you are talking to a representative from the company in question.
Never give out any information to someone that has called you requesting it.
No company will ever request you to put money on a gift card and then give them the number on the card.
No Sheriff’s Office, Police Dept, IRS, or any other local, state, or federal agencies will ever ask for payment by phone.
No agency will ever ask you to pay bail or a bond that has been set for someone to be released from jail, or to keep someone from being arrested.
No lottery will ever require money so your winnings can be processed or require an account number so it can be deposited.
These are just a few of the ways that people will try to scam you out of your money. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is, and if it’s scary and you are pushed to act, don’t.
The Sharp County Sheriff’s Office has literature on how scams work and how to avoid them. We have limited copies, but we will give them out as long as we have them.