REC Warns of Sophisticated Phone Scammers

Fredericksburg, Va. - Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) warns member-owners to beware of scammers posing as REC employees and threatening to disconnect power unless payment is made over the phone.
In many cases, spammers are able to “spoof” a familiar phone number with a local area code to make the call look more legitimate.

If you receive a suspicious call, please keep the following in mind:

• At this time, REC has suspended disconnections for non-payment.
• The Cooperative is not calling to demand payment on accounts that have fallen behind.
• REC does not use collection agencies to contact members by phone.
• If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be an REC employee demanding immediate payment, report the suspicious activity to local law enforcement.

• Never give personal account or payment information to someone you do not know.
• Do not answer calls from unknown phone numbers.
• Don’t follow instructions on a pre-recorded message, such as “Press 1 to speak to a live operator.” This is likely an attempt to lure you into providing personal information.
• Do not share personal or financial information, including your Social Security number or bank account information, with a caller you do not know. The caller might say they have the information and “just need to confirm it with you.” That is a trap.
• Do not make payments by gift cards, prepaid debit cards or wire transfers. Fraudsters favor those methods because they are difficult to trace.