East Texas Police Warn about Swepco Phone Scam
A scam that has been targeting Swepco (Southwest Electric Power Company) since at least 2014 is making the rounds again. Kilgore police are putting out a warning to residents in the area to be on the lookout for unsolicited calls that claim to be from the electric provider that threaten to shut the consumer's power off without immediate payment.
There are a couple of things to note about this scenario. First off, Swepco won't call and threaten to shut your power off - they just do it. Secondly, they won't demand that you go through a third party (like a pre-paid gift card or Pay-Pal) - they have their own approved payment services. According to EastTexasMatters.com, the scammers have gotten a bit slicker over the years by tricking the caller ID into reading "Swepco" and mimicking the electric company's hold music. The authorities warn that if you receive a phone call that sounds a bit like this - report it to the police, Swepco, or the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center right away.