Coast EPA News www.coastepa.com Coast EPA News Service 5/17/2012 7:50:15 PM us=en <![CDATA[Members cautioned about scam involving utility payments]]> newslist.aspx?itemID=202 Coast Electric officials have been alerted to a scam affecting its members. A rumor states that the federal government is willing to pay utility bills if members will pay by e-check and use particular banking account information.

There is no truth to this rumor. The banking information is only partially legitimate which causes the transaction, made either by phone or online, to appear to go through but the payments are later rejected. At this point, no Coast Electric member has attempted to pay their bill this way, but member service representatives have received calls from members asking if the rumor is true. 

Payment Safety Tips
  • Never share personal account information or banking information with anyone whether they are family, friends or strangers.
  • Never give personal account information or banking information to anyone calling you and stating they are Coast Electric employees. We would not call you and we have your account information on file.
  • Feel free to ask any Coast Electric employee to show their employee badge. Our field employees wear a uniform and drive vehicles with corporate identification.
  • Stay aware of possible identity theft situations and guard your personal information.
  • Always remember that if something is too good to be true, it probably is not true.
]]> Coast EPA News Service 05/04/12 Coast EPA News Service