Personal Information Safety

While electrical safety remains a main priority for us at Ozarks Electric Cooperative, we don’t stop there. As we continue to grow into a society that relies more and more on technology, there are more risks to which we become exposed. This includes everything from potential scams to identity theft and cybersecurity attacks.

We want you to be aware and cautious that these kinds of threats are real as there are several ways in which you may be affected by information theft. At any given time, you may receive unsolicited communication from individuals claiming to be representatives of Ozarks Electric but who are, in fact, not who they claim to be.

We also take very seriously the fact that we hold and maintain your personal information in our systems and hold ourselves to the highest of safety and verification standards.

Telephone Scams

We regularly see reports from members of individuals calling members, threatening imminent disconnection of service unless payment is made immediately. In most cases, payment is requested in cash at a third-party location. These calls are scams.

In addition, members may also receive communication from individuals who are soliciting a service, claiming to be representatives of Ozarks Electric. These calls should also be treated as scams.

What To Do If You Suspect a Scam

We will never call you with notice of service suspension or to request payment. We will also never “cold call” a member to solicit a service; we will only call a member regarding a specific service if explicitly requested.

If you ever receive communication from an individual that you believe to be falsifying information, or making odd requests, hang up immediately and contact local authorities. Please also take a moment to contact us at 1-800-521-6144 so that we may alert other members if necessary.

Protecting Your Information

In addition to scams, we also want members to understand that identity theft and cybersecurity risks continue to grow in number and sophistication. You can rest assured, however, that we maintain the highest of security and account verification standards to protect confidential information.

Our comprehensive member information protection includes:

• Going to great lengths to protect the information stored on our data systems.
• Detailed checking of the identity of persons opening or inquiring about accounts.
• Strict verification of service and billing addresses.
• Comprehensive employee education about cybersecurity.

These extra security measures are for the protection of our members and our Cooperative as a whole. Besides the obvious responsibility of safeguarding your information, by staying on guard for potential risks, we can help keep electric rates low.

If you would like more information on member information security, please be sure to read our Privacy Policy.