05-05-2025
New electric company scam has Wichitans on their toes
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) —While Wichita Falls continues to deal with a flood advisory, some people are facing a new threat: an electricity scam.
Suszette McKee's street is usually quiet. But recently, an electric company scam has broken the peace, soliciting McKee and some of her neighbors. The alleged company offered to lower her bill by removing ONCOR delivery charges, but McKee felt it was fishy after she asked for more information.
'He wouldn't tell me anything,' McKee said. 'He wouldn't give me any information. Do you know what company you work for? And then I asked him, do you have an ID? And he said yes, I do. And he's flipping around on his phone, and then he changed the subject and never showed me an ID or anything.'
When she declined the offer, the scammer left, and McKee then called Reliant Energy about the attempted scam. They said they've received many calls about scams of that nature. Had McKee fallen for it, she discovered the consequences could have been significant.
'What they could do is if they get your account number, they can just change your electric company without you even knowing it,' McKee said.
McKee said the scammers were wearing basic yellow safety vests and lanyards that said 'Simplicity' on them. Now that she's aware of the risks the scammer's plan posed, she wants her neighbors and others to be aware of them too.
'There are a couple of people on the neighborhood app that have said the same things happened to them,' McKee said. 'So, I just wanted people to be aware, you know, if somebody comes up and, especially if they ask to look at your electric bill, don't let them.'
McKee lived through the Terrible Tuesday tornadoes in 1979 and has experienced her fair share of scams stemming from that incident. As experienced as she is, she'll be even more wary about who she trusts with her electric bill.
'I'll go on the website, or I'll call, you know, the electric company and see what deals are best for me or something,' McKee said. 'But I wouldn't trust anybody to come to my door and want to sell me electric or anything.'
The Better Business Bureau is just one place with advice and resources available to prevent falling victims to scams. It's always important to do the proper research before hiring or making a financial decision involving another company.
So, with Wichita Falls already in the height of storm season, electric company scammers are just one more thing for Wichitans to watch out for.
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