Don’t Get Scammed

Sangre de Cristo Electric Association (SDCEA) cautions consumers not to be fooled by impersonators who claim to be from SDCEA and threaten disconnection for lack of payment.

Area consumers have recently reported very aggressive collection calls demanding immediate credit card payment or purchase of a third-party credit card to avoid loss of service. The caller may demand something else entirely — like a payment of taxes. The calls may even appear on caller ID as a local call from SDCEA or Sangre de Cristo Electric. The callers are not affiliated with SDCEA and are attempting to talk victims out of their credit card or banking information. Consumer protection agencies caution that the scammers often target the elderly.

SDCEA asks our members, if you get a questionable phone call, to hang up and call SDCEA directly at (719) 395-2412 or toll-free at (844) 395-2412 to see if there truly is an issue with the account in question.

When an account is past due, SDCEA consumers receive a phone call, a written notice and are given time to settle their bills before any disconnect would take place.

SDCEA’s consumer service department can be reached during regular business hours at (719) 395-2412 or toll-free at (844) 395-2412 for clarification of any billing questions. SDCEA members can also review the status of their account at any time online by clicking the Sign-In button at the top of any page on our website.

Reminders

• Don’t give out or confirm your personal or financial information to someone who calls.
• Never pay someone who calls out of the blue, even if the name or number on the caller ID looks legit.
• Don’t wire money or send money using a reloadable card.
• Feeling pressured to act immediately? Hang up. That’s a sure sign of a scam.

If you receive a call from a scammer, with or without fake caller ID information, you may report it to the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.