Fraudulent Payments Could Affect Customer Accounts

New Orleans, La. – Entergy New Orleans, Inc. is once again receiving 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.

This is the second time scammers have promoted this particular scam. It also surfaced across the southeast in early May. Entergy New Orleans 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 Melonie Hall, director of customer service for Entergy New Orleans, Inc. “Scammers try to get our customers to reveal personal information that could be used as part of identity theft schemes.”

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.

While the company has made efforts to block the routing numbers being used in the scam, some customers have already tried to make payments using the fraudulent info. Payments made by Entergy New Orleans 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,” said Hall.

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 and they should not try to use a bogus payment method by substituting another account or bank routing number,” said Hall.

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 New Orleans account has been affected, they should call 1 800 ENTERGY (1 800 368 3749) to speak with a customer service representative

Entergy New Orleans, Inc. is an electric and gas utility serving Orleans Parish and is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. The company provides electricity to more than 160,000 customers and natural gas to more than 100,000 customers in Orleans Parish.

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Twitter: @EntergyNOLA