Have you gotten a call from a Santee Cooper rep demanding payment on a pre-paid card?

That’s a trick question.

If you’ve gotten a call like that, it wasn’t from Santee Cooper or another local utility.

It was a scammer.

Santee Cooper tweeted Feb. 4 they had gotten reports of impersonation scams.

The utility said they will never call to demand payment. They also will never ask for payment on an account via a pre-paid card.

The FTC reminds consumers to never give banking information over the phone or by email. Remember, requests for one specific payment method are a red flag. Gift card, cash, reload card or cryptocurrency payment requests are also a red flag.

These scammers can be very convincing.

The FTC has gotten reports from customers who knew they had paid their bill but paid the scammers anyway.

If you get a call claiming to be from Santee Cooper, report the call to them at 843-347-3399.

If you get a similar call from another utility, end the call. Verify the status of your account by contacting the utility directly. Get their number from their official website or your billing statement.

The FTC is investigating scam calls like these as well. Report them using www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov .