Last week, one of our members was approached by two men in a red truck who falsely identified themselves as San Patricio Electric Cooperative contractors. They told our member that they needed to do some work on two meter loops—and then took off with them.

Please be aware that these men are in no way associated with the co-op. If you are approached by them, report it to the authorities.

In light of this scam, SPEC would like to remind you of some tips to safeguard yourself.

• Check for identifying markers on vehicles. Our logo is located on both sides of our work trucks. And each truck can be identified by a truck number, located near the mirrors on either side of the vehicle.

• Ask for identification from employees. SPEC crew members or meter technicians should be dressed in uniforms displaying their name and our logo. Additionally, all employees are issued employee identification cards, with photos.

• Ask for a letter from contractors. SPEC’s current line contractor is Urban Contractors. They don’t have SPEC logos on their trucks or uniforms, but should be able to show you an official letter stating that they are contractors for SPEC.

• Give us a call. If in doubt, give us a call at 361-364-2220. Through our truck tracking system, we can verify if the truck in your driveway actually belongs to the co-op. Or we can let you know if a contractor has been dispatched to your location.

• Look for red flags. There are usually some warning signs when you’re dealing with scammers. They may demand immediate payment, require that you pay with a prepaid card or try and get personal information. In this case, the warning sign may not be so obvious.  SPEC owns and maintains everything up to your meter. But the meter loop is owned and maintained by you. The only people who should be working on it are people that you hired.

• Notify the authorities. If you’re ever contacted in a suspicious manner, or believe you may be a victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement agency. Give them any information you can, such as a phone number, email address or license plate number. They may be able to track down the perpetrators.

• Notify SPEC, too. If you think you may have been targeted by a scam regarding your SPEC service, we want to know about it. Once we know of an issue we can help spread the word to other members. We don’t want anyone falling victim to these schemes.