At Entergy, we put the safety and well-being of our customers at the forefront of everything we do. Unfortunately, we continue to see an increase in fraudsters' attempts to scam our customers. We want to ensure we provide the most current and reliable information regarding scams to our customers and provide tools to help you keep your information safe.
What to do if you suspect a scam
- Contact Entergy by calling 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service representative. Be sure to have all details and any supporting documents available to discuss the suspicious activity on your utility account with an Entergy representative.
- Inform your bank or financial institution, which may then direct you to other protective measures.
- If feel you are in immediate danger and the suspected scammer is present, call 911 as soon as possible.
Here are some steps to protect your personal information from scammers:
- Do not use unauthorized payment methods. You should only use authorized payment options that are provided on the myEntergy website to make a bill payment transaction.
- Never give out your banking information by email or phone. Entergy does not demand banking information by email or phone, or force you to provide this information to a representative as your only option.
- Never give out your personal information by email or phone. Never give out personally identifying information like your social security number or Entergy account number to an unsolicited caller. Entergy representatives will never call you to request personal information over the phone.
- Disconnects. Entergy does not cut off service without considerable advance warning.
- Don’t pay any Entergy bill with a gift card, cash reload card, wiring money or cryptocurrency. Entergy does not demand or accept gift cards like iTunes or Amazon, cash reload cards like MoneyPak, Vanilla, or Reloadit, or cryptocurrency like bitcoin.
Payments made through inappropriate or fraudulent methods may initially appear to be successfully applied to your utility account. But in these cases, the payments will be reversed due to fictious or unauthorized use of financial account information.
Scammers will successfully withdraw money from the financial accounts you willingly provide. However, these funds are kept by the scammer and not sent to Entergy for payment of the customers’ utility bills.
In these cases, you will still owe the amount shown on their bills for the utility services you have used, as the payments have not been satisfied. Additional fees may be applied for past due and return payments. Utility account may also be restricted for future checking account payments due to excessive returns.
How to tell if someone may be scamming you
Phone
- One of the most common methods scammers use, is calling customers directly and pretending to be an Entergy representative. Scammers will threaten to disconnect your electrical service if instant payment on a past due bill isn’t received. They will direct you to transfer funds electronically, sometimes through money wiring systems or pre-paid cards. In recent instances, scammers have demanded immediate payment over the phone. The scammers often use sophisticated spoofing technology to replicate the local utility’s name and number on your caller ID screen, making it particularly difficult for you to spot this scam.
- Texting scams, or “smishing,” is on the rise. The text messages look like they could be legit because the scammers have your name and address. In some cases, they even provide the name or title of someone who is allegedly an Entergy representative – making the text look even more official. Please remember this: If the text is demanding immediate payment under threat of disconnecting service, it is NOT Entergy. It’s a scam. Do not send them money.
- The Federal Communications Commission has reported that severe storm events may raise the risk of weather-event-related scam calls. Scammers know that severe weather may have led to a power shut off and might pose as Entergy when contacting customers. The Federal Trade Commission also provides updates on recent scam alerts.
- What should you do? Remember, Entergy NEVER demands immediate payment from you over the phone. You should never give your personal information to strangers. If a call sounds suspicious, hang-up and call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak directly with an Entergy customer service representative. If you believe you are a victim of this scam, notify the proper authorities, such as the local police or the state attorney general's office.
In-person
- While far less common than any other scams, in-person imposters have been known to pose as utility workers and go door-to-door. In most instances, the scammers claim they need access to your property to provide repairs, offer free inspections, or to get power back on first following an outage or disconnect for an upfront payment.
- What should you do? Entergy will contact you via phone or provide written notice if we need to access your property for any reason. Our employees will also be clearly identified with branded uniforms and badges. If you’re unsure, call Entergy to verify that a service representative should be on-site. We will also NEVER demand or accept payment at your door to reconnect your power. Should you suspect an in-person scammer, and you feel threatened, call 911 as soon as possible. Then, contact Entergy at 1-800-ENTERGY to speak with a customer service representative.
Digital and social
- With a growing number of customers conducting business online, we continue to see a rise in digital scams via email, text and social media. Scammers have been known to send fake (but highly realistic) utility bills to customers asking for immediate payment. Another tactic commonly used is text message phishing, where cellphone users receive a text asking for information such as banking account numbers, credit/debit card information or social security numbers.
- What should you do? Never click on links or attachments or respond to emails or text messages unless you’re certain who the sender is. Entergy will not send a paperless bill unless you’ve signed up for that service and will NEVER prompt you for payment via social media. If you believe you’re being contacted by an inappropriate or unauthorized individual, stop what you’re doing and call 1-800-ENTERGY to speak directly with an Entergy customer service representative.
Employment
- Scams asking for payment continue to be the most prevalent, but we’ve recently seen a rise in employment scams. In these cases, community members, who may or may not be seeking employment with Entergy, receive emails or phone calls with job offers from the company or ask for payment to submit an application. Scammers then seek out personal information such as birthdays, social security numbers or banking information. Employment scams are becoming increasingly more realistic, with caller-IDs reading as an Entergy phone number in some instances.
- What should you do? Entergy will not pursue applicants who haven’t applied for a position via an official human resources job application first. You should NEVER provide personal information if you have not filled out paperwork for employment or gone through a formal recruitment process. Fraudulent job offers will also often come from non-Entergy branded accounts. These false offers may contain poor grammar and seek payment. Should you be contacted unexpectedly for Entergy employment, call 1-800-ENTERGY to speak directly with an Entergy customer service representative.
How to safely pay your Entergy bill
You should not use any unauthorized bank account or credit card account numbers. You should only use the Entergy approved payment methods below, with information from your Entergy bill and correct banking information, to pay your utility bill:
- Pay online (no fee) – For no additional charge, conveniently pay your bill online by electronic check. Log in securely to myEntergy to view and pay your bills.
- Pay by phone (fee) – Pay your bill by phone using a bank account, credit or debit card by calling 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) or calling SpeedPay directly at 1-888-822-0553. Our pay-by-phone provider will charge a $2.50 convenience fee with Speedpay or a $2.75 convenience fee with BillMatrix for all payments made by phone. Speedpay and BillMatrix are the only credit card or debit card vendors authorized to process these payments.
- Pay by credit/debit card (fee) – There are currently four approved options to pay your utility bill with a credit card or debit card. Each vendor also accepts electronic payments through valid bank accounts.
- Pay online through our two authorized credit or debit card vendors, Speedpay or BillMatrix, for a $1.60 convenience fee. Access these sites by visiting myEntergy to ensure secure payment options.
- Pay by moBillsTM through your smartphone’s native wallet with Speedpay for a $1.60 convenience fee.
- Pay by Text for with your mobile phone with Speedpay for a $1.60 convenience fee. Receive a text message notification on your cell phone when your bill is ready. Simply reply to the text to pay your bill.
- Pay by phone for a $2.50 convenience fee (Speedpay) or a $2.75 convenience fee (BillMatrix) at 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749).
- Walk-in payment centers – Pay your utility 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 – Avoid late fees, writing checks and paying for postage by having your bill automatically deduct from your bank account when you enroll in AutoPay. We'll provide a monthly billing statement to you for your records, showing the usage, bill amount and due date.
- Pay by mail – Just mail in your monthly payment in the envelope provided with your bill. It’s fast, easy and one stamp is all it takes for your payment to reach us. Please note, you may see delays in payment processing through this option due. To reduce delays, always provide your Entergy bill stub with your check payment in the courtesy envelope provided.