BEWARE of anyone who calls or knocks on your door from someone who claims to be a DEMCO employee.
Scammers are increasingly targeting our members by phone, email or in person pretending to be DEMCO employees. These imposters tell you your power will be disconnected in 30 minutes unless you pay now, or they offer to sell you products or a service.
Warning signs that it might be a scam:
- You receive an unscheduled visit or unsolicited phone call from someone claiming to be a DEMCO employee.
- Someone claiming to be a DEMCO employee threatens to cut off your electric service unless you pay immediately.
- You receive a demand for payment of your DEMCO bill via gift card, prepaid credit cards, wire currency or even cryptocurrency.
- You notice payments on your credit card or bank statement for accounts you did not open.
- You receive an email that you cannot confirm came from DEMCO.
- A caller claiming to be a DEMCO employee asks for bank account or credit card information.
- You receive an unsolicited utility equipment inspection, energy audit, solar panel installation, home security or any other salesperson at your home.
Please register your MyDEMCO account and confirm your phone and email are up to date. DEMCO will notify you in your account portal whenever work is scheduled in your service area.
DEMCO does not engage in door-to-door sales of solar panels, nor do we have contractual affiliations with any such entities. If members are ever concerned with safety, they should certainly call the police to report the incident.
- Members will receive a disconnect letter and alert online via our online account management system and app, prior to service disconnection.
- We use an automated system to allow members to make payments to their accounts.
- We submit aged delinquent balances on closed accounts to a collection agency, which contacts our members by letter and phone to collect payment on our behalf. Collection agency calls will come from TransWorld Inc. or TSI, Inc.
- All DEMCO employees and contractors carry photo identification badges, travel in company vehicles, and wear uniform shirts.
- Collect money in the field. DEMCO employees will never ask members to pay their bills anywhere other than at our office or through one of our payment options.
- Instruct you to call a phone number that is not ours
- Ask you to pay with a prepaid card or cash anywhere other than at our office.
- Make automated calls to collect payments.
- Sell products, services or rooftop solar in your neighborhood.
- Collect money for trimming trees, or ask contractors to collect money for trimming trees on our behalf.
If you believe that you have been contacted by a criminal impersonating a DEMCO representative and threatening to disconnect your power, follow the tips below.
- Verify the person’s identity. DEMCO employees will have billing history information such as the amount of your last payment. If they don’t have that information, do not make payments or give out any personal information.
- Protect your personal information. Hang up the phone, close the door and carefully check emails before clicking on any links that may be bogus. Do not share any financial or personal information such as bank, credit card, social security, address or date of birth. Delete all suspicious emails that require immediate action to verify or demand personal information.
- Pay DEMCO directly. We will gladly accept payment from any member at any time, but we advise that you initiate the payment method.
- Don't provide personal or financial information. Do not give the caller or visitor a prepaid card, such as a Green Dot card, a wire transfer, or any other form of payment that may be difficult for law enforcement officials to trace.
- Don't let someone you don't know into your home. Do not let someone claiming to be a DEMCO employee into your home unless you have reported a problem or scheduled an appointment. Check their identification if you do.
- Beware of phishing emails and texts. Do not click links in text messages or emails unless you are sure it came from DEMCO.
- Keep us informed. Ask for the person’s name and as much additional information as possible, note their phone number from caller ID, and simply call our office to report scammers to DEMCO.
- Report fraud. Contact your local police through the non-emergency telephone number, your state attorney general’s office through its toll-free number, and/or contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).