The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Entergy is receiving numerous inquiries from customers concerning a scam that claims the president of the United States or the government is allowing credits or applying payments to customers’ utility bills.

The scams have occurred throughout the company’s service area, including Entergy Texas, Inc. The company is taking actions to inform and protect customers.

“Scammers continue to target Entergy customers with messages that the president or the government will provide a credit or directly pay their utility bill,” said Vernon Pierce, customer service director, Entergy Texas, inc. “Scammers try to get our customers to reveal personal information that could be harmful.”

The scam calls for customers to make a payment by using a bank routing number supplied by the scammers. In some cases, customers are asked to use the number appearing on the back of their Social Security cards as the bank account number.

Payments made by Entergy Texas customers using the scammers’ method will not process correctly and the money will not be applied to their bills. Customers will still owe the amount shown on their bills for the utility services they have used.

“It is unfortunate that unscrupulous persons would plan such an activity that could harm our customers. But we are watching out for their welfare and taking action to inform them of the scammers’ actions,” Pierce said.

In addition to still owing for the utility service they used, customers using a bogus payment method could be assessed additional fees, have their ability to pay by personal check affected and could be disconnected for not paying their bill.

“We remind customers to not give their personal information to strangers,” Pierce said. “And they should not try to use a bogus payment method by substituting another account or bank routing number.”

Customers should use only authorized methods to pay their bills:

• Pay online – myAccount.

  For no additional charge, conveniently pay your bill online by electronic check.

  Log in securely to myAccount to view and pay your bills.

• Pay by phone - Pay your bill by credit card, debit card or electronic check by calling 1-800-584-1241.

  BillMatrix, our pay-by-phone provider, will charge a $2.95 service fee.

• Pay by credit/debit card – Pay your bill with a credit card, debit card or electronic check by phone (1-800-584-1241) or through the BillMatrix website, for a $2.95 service fee.
• Walk-in payment centers - Pay your bill in person with cash, check or money order at one of the authorized Quick Payment Centers in your community.

  A convenience fee may apply.

• Auto pay bank draft - Avoid late fees.

  Automatically deduct your bill payment from your checking account each month.

  We'll mail a monthly billing statement to you for your records, showing the bill amount and bank draft date.

• Pay by mail - Send check by U.S. Mail to the remittance address shown on your bill.
• Paper FREE - Get an email each month with your bill amount and due date.

  Pay by any method you wish: online at myAccount, in person, by mail, or with credit/debit card online or by phone through BillMatrix.

Customers who believe they are a victim of this scam can notify the proper authorities, such as the local police, the state attorney general’s office, the Better Business Bureau or other agencies.

If they believe their Entergy Texas account has been affected, they should call 1‑800‑ENTERGY (1‑800‑368‑3749) to speak with a customer service representative.

Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 400,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.