Fayette Electric Cooperative Urges Members to Be Alert for Email Scams

Fayette Electric Cooperative is reminding members to remain vigilant after learning that scammers are impersonating the cooperative via fraudulent emails.

The issue came to light after individuals in other states contacted Fayette EC regarding suspicious emails that appeared to come from the cooperative. According to reports, the scammers copied elements of Fayette EC's email signature and used a non-FEC email address, attempting to appear legitimate. 

As online scams become increasingly sophisticated, Fayette EC encourages members to take a closer look at emails, texts, and phone calls that claim to be from the cooperative. Criminals often attempt to create a sense of urgency or fear to convince recipients to click a link, open an attachment, or provide personal information.

How to Spot a Suspicious Email
Members can help protect themselves by following these best practices:

•  Check the sender's email address carefully. Scammers often use email addresses that look similar to legitimate businesses but contain extra characters, misspellings, or free email domains such as Hotmail or Gmail. 

•  Be cautious of urgent requests. Emails that demand immediate payment, threaten service disconnection, or pressure you to act quickly should raise concern.

•  Avoid clicking unfamiliar links. Hover over links before clicking to verify the website address. If something doesn't look right, do not click.

•  Do not provide personal or financial information by email. Fayette EC will never ask members to send passwords, Social Security numbers, or sensitive banking information through email.

•  Watch for spelling and grammar errors. While scammers are becoming more sophisticated, many fraudulent messages still contain unusual wording, grammatical mistakes, or formatting issues.

•  Verify before responding. If you receive a message that seems suspicious, contact Fayette EC directly using the phone number listed on your electric bill or on the cooperative's website rather than using contact information provided in the suspicious message.

How Fayette Electric Cooperative Communicates with Members

Fayette EC regularly communicates with members regarding billing information, service updates, outage notifications, member programs, and cooperative news. Members should always verify that communications are coming from official Fayette EC contact channels before acting.

To help members stay informed, Fayette EC plans to continue sharing educational information about how the cooperative communicates and how to recognize potential phishing attempts. 

Anyone who receives a suspicious email claiming to be from Fayette EC is encouraged to contact the cooperative before responding, opening attachments, clicking links, or providing any personal information.

By remaining aware and taking a few extra moments to verify communications, members can help protect themselves and their personal information from fraud.