It’s unfortunate that there are people in the world who seek financial gain by using scare tactics on legitimate services. But last month, I was reminded those people exist, even in small-town, rural Iowa.

Our cooperative received a call from one of our member-consumers reporting that they received a phone call from an unknown number threatening to disconnect their electricity within 45 minutes if payment wasn’t received. Fortunately, this member recognized it as a scam and called Guthrie County REC to verify their account was in good standing.

If you receive a similar phone call, please take these steps:

1. Verify. Guthrie County REC will NEVER threaten to disconnect your power immediately. We will work with you on payment arrangements if your payment is delinquent for 60 or 90 days. If no payment is received, we will post a 24-hour notice of disconnection on the property. The best thing to do is hang up and call the cooperative to verify if the call was legitimate.

2. Question the payment method. If the caller demands payment via a prepaid debit card or wire transfer, it’s a red flag. These types of payments are hard to trace and can be almost impossible for you to recoup once the money is sent.

3. Don’t be rushed. The caller may use a loud or demanding tone to intimidate and scare you. Remember that you are in control and simply hang up. There’s no need for “Iowa Nice” when dealing with scammers!

If you are contacted by someone who you think is trying to scam you, please contact Guthrie County REC to let us know. We can confirm the call was a scam and alert others that these phone calls may be happening to them. You can also log in to SmartHub through our secure website to view your payment history or alerts to any
problems with your account.

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By: Rebecca Schwartz, communications clerk for Guthrie County REC