December 17, 2021
Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc.
P.O. Box 8
40 Church Street
East Montpelier, VT 05651
Contact: Susan Golden 800-932-5245 || susan.golden@wec.coop
East Montpelier, VT – Washington Electric Cooperative (WEC) has heard a report of at least one member receiving a telephone call from someone claiming to be from WEC. The member was told their account was overdue and that they risked disconnection if the amount was not paid. If you receive any call that you are suspicious of or believe is a scam, here are some tips:
- Do not provide personal or financial information
- Do not engage—you can always just hang up
- Do not call the scammer back
- Contact WEC directly to report the scam, as well as the phone number and any other information about the call you have
WEC does reach out to members by phone between the hours of 7:30 am and 6:00 pm if they are at risk of disconnection the next day, but we do not require immediate payment. WEC offers many options for how the payment can be made to the utility but we will not force a member to pay immediately by credit card.
If we call you and you have any questions on the legitimacy of the call, hang up and call WEC back at the main office number at 1-800-932-5245. That way, you are calling WEC and can be assured you are not the victim of a scam. Phone calls after 4 p.m. go to our answering service, so we recommend that you call as soon as possible after 7:30 a.m. the following morning if you have reason to believe that your power is at risk of being disconnected. Also, please be aware that disconnections only occur between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
Don’t fall for high-pressure tactics, including threats that you’re about to be disconnected for not paying your bill. Most importantly, don’t get taken in – don’t provide any cash, credit card, debit card or bank account numbers to anyone over the phone unless you are certain of the caller’s authenticity.
To verify anyone claiming to be a representative of Washington Electric Co-op & requesting credit card information, members should call the utility at 1-800-932-5245.
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