2023 July NAEC - Arkansas Living Center Pages

Scammers commonly contact North Arkansas Electric Cooperative members with threats of disconnection or promises of a refund for an overpaid account. NAEC encourages members never to give payment information to anyone who calls and to call NAEC at 870-895-3221 with any questions about an account.

Stay step ahead of utility scammers

BY PAUL WESSLUND

In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received 5.7 million incident reports in the consumer marketplace. About half of those were identified as fraud and a quarter as identity theft. Those statistics don’t tabulate utility fraud specifically, but the Better Business Bureau states it receives about 1,000 complaints of utility scams each year.

Let’s look at a few common scenarios of utility scams:

• You receive a random call. The caller says you didn’t pay your last electric bill, and your power will be cut off immediately –– unless you pay right now by credit card over the phone. Caller ID shows it came from the utility; the caller even told you the exact amount of your most recent bill.

• You receive a text message that you overpaid your utility bill, and to get the refund, you need to provide your financial information.

• A friendly person in uniform knocks on your door saying he/she is from the power company and is following up on high-bill complaints from your neighbors. He/she just needs to take a look at your utility bill to get the information code and make sure you aren’t being double-charged.

These real-life stories are scams, and about one in four people fall victim to them. Although many people do the right thing and contact their utility rather than handing over money or private information, more than $6 billion in losses to various scams were reported in 2021. According to Utilities United Against Scams, the typical cost for each victim who lost money was about $500.

Beware of new schemes

Scammers are notorious for recognizing when people are most vulnerable — Christmas, right after a tornado or during extreme hot or cold weather. They might be the most charming people you ever met. They might be the meanest and most intimidating, bullying you into acting. It can be hard to say “no” in the moment.

In one of the top recent scams, you’re told to pay by gift or cash card, giving the swindlers the card and PIN number, so they can have easier access to your money. North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) never will ask you to pay by gift card.

Another new scheme tells you to pay your bill with cryptocurrency. NAEC also will not require you to pay by bitcoin or similar methods.

Call your co-op first

The best way to avoid being a victim of a utility scam is to call NAEC directly at 870-895-3221. Scammers will try to rush you into acting, but no billing situation is so urgent you can’t check on it.

If you do lose money on a scam, don’t be embarrassed. Report it to NAEC. File a complaint with the attorney general of Arkansas by calling 501-682-2007 or online at arkansasag.gov. The attorney general is responsible for investigating fraud and will want to know about any suspicious schemes.

Paul Wesslund writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

YAVDAT/ADOBE

Applications available soon for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

The federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides help for qualifying members with their energy costs during the summer and winter months.

LIHEAP is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and operated by community action agencies. In North Arkansas Electric Cooperative’s service area, those are Ozark Opportunities and Northcentral Arkansas Development Council.

Summer assistance is expected to be available beginning in mid-July. We encourage members needing assistance to reach out to the agency serving their county for more information and to check their eligibility.

Ozark Opportunities serves residents in Baxter and Marion counties. Northcentral Arkansas Development Council serves residents in Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone counties. (Please see below for the websites and phone numbers.)

The amount of help available varies based on a member’s income, number of people in the household and other factors. Assistance is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

NAEC tries to work with members who are experiencing hardships. Members needing an extension or with questions or concerns about their account may reach a member service representative by emailing info@naeci.com or calling 870-895-3221 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

nadcinc.org

Fulton County - 870-895-3628

Izard County - 870-368-4329

Sharp County - 870-994-7353

Ozark

ozarkopp.org

Baxter County - 870-425-5118

Please refrain from stapling check 23 MORE CO-OP NEWS ON PAGE 26 HEADQUARTERS 225 S. Main St., Salem DISTRICT OFFICES 824 Hwy 56, Ash Flat 1520 Hwy 62/412 E., Mountain Home CONTACT NAEC 870-895-3221 info@naeci.com PAY/VIEW BILL naeci.com ▶ Account Login REPORT OUTAGE 870-895-3221 844-335-4461 NAEC App naeci.com ▶ Outage Viewer FOLLOW NAEC Twitter.com/NorthARElectric Facebook.com/NorthARElectric North Arkansas Electric Cooperative's offices will be closed July 4 in observance of Independence Day. Personnel will be on call in the event of an outage.

23 More co-op news on page 26 NORTH ARKANSAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

North Arkansas Electric Cooperative maintains the right-of-way, so employees and contractors can access lines and equipment for inspection or repair at any time. This helps NAEC provide reliable, safe service for members.

contractor to begin treating portions of right-of-way in mid-July

Maintaining the right-of-way — the land below, above and on either side of power lines and equipment — is essential for North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) to provide reliable, safe electricity to our members.

Employees and contractors need access to inspect and make any necessary repairs at all times. Our trucks and equipment can’t access overgrown areas easily or quickly. This can lead to delay in restoring service during an outage or planned maintenance.

NAEC again has contracted with Progressive Solutions to treat portions of the co-op's right-of-way with herbicide. Using herbicides on unmaintained areas is an effective method of controlling brush for a longer time period than bush-hogging.

Treatment will begin around the middle of July and should be completed within three weeks. It will be conducted on unmaintained areas — not lawns or gardens — by uniformed employees often using backpack sprayers. Although the herbicides are labeled to spray up to the water's edge, Progressive Solutions employees give a 50-foot buffer to these areas.

Members in the scheduled areas will receive a postcard at the mailing address NAEC has on file prior to work beginning. An email also will be sent to those with an address on file.

Scheduled areas in the Mountain Home district include: Clarkridge, Denton Ferry, Edgewood Bay, Gassville, Highway 5 area (north and south of bypass), Howard Creek, Lakeview, Midway, Promise Land, Three Brothers, Whiteville and Wildcat Shoals.

Scheduled areas in the Salem district include: Agnos, east of Salem, Fairview, Glencoe, Heart and Morriston.

Scheduled areas in the Ash Flat district include: Armstrong, Bakers Cemetery, east of Ash Flat, Fire Tower Road, Franklin, Game Reserve, Horseshoe Bend, Liberty Hill, Turkey Pen and Wirth.

Maintaining the right-of-way through vegetation trimming and removal is not only NAEC’s responsibility, but it also is required by the Arkansas Public Service Commission and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to maintain reliability and safety.

Members with any questions, please call General Foreman Paul Garrison at 870895-6289 or Operations Vice President James Woody at 870-895-3221. Questions also may be emailed to info@naeci.com. We appreciate your cooperation in our efforts to provide quality service.

NAEC