Sample custom scam alerts
These are the latest alerts for Example Community Credit Union, a fictional credit union in Houston, Texas, that serves older adults, homeowners, and renters. A real organization's alerts carry its own name and are chosen for its own area and people.
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The latest alerts, ready to copy
October 19, 2026 · Reported in Texas · for older adults
A Utility Worker at the Door Offers a Water Test? Ask for ID
A scam alert from Example Community Credit Union
Someone at the door who says they work for the city or the utility, then offers a water test, pitches a water filter, or asks to see your bill, is a sign of a scam. In October 2026, JEA in Jacksonville, Florida, said people posing as its employees were offering arsenic water tests it is not doing; the City of Terrell, Texas, said people claiming to be city employees were trying to sell water filtration systems; and PG&E said anyone claiming to be PG&E who asks to see your bill is not. Ask for ID, then call the utility yourself.
How to spot it
- Someone at the door says they are from the city or the utility and offers to test your water, for example for arsenic.
- The visit turns into a sales pitch for a water filtration system.
- They say they can lower your bill and ask to see a copy of it. PG&E says its real representatives do not ask to see your bill during a visit.
What to do
- Do not let anyone in who arrived without an appointment you made. JEA says it will never come into your home without making arrangements ahead of time.
- Ask to see a photo ID badge or a work request number, then call the utility yourself on the number on your bill or its website. JEA's number is (904) 665-6000, and PG&E's is 800-743-5000.
- Do not show your bill, sign anything, or buy a water system at the door.
Example Community Credit Union will never:
- Ask for your password or a one-time security code.
- Ask you to move money to a new account to keep it safe.
- Ask for your full card number or PIN by phone, text, or email.
- Send someone to your home to collect cash or a bank card.
Not sure whether a message is really from us? Contact us using a phone number or website you already know, never one given in the message itself.
Prepared for Example Community Credit Union by The End Scams Project. General scam-safety information, not legal or financial advice.
October 12, 2026 · For homeowners and renters
Generator Franchise Takes Deposits, Then Closes Without Refunds
A scam alert from Example Community Credit Union
Be wary of a home-generator seller that takes a large deposit up front and then stalls on delivery. Resisting a refund when the store closes or you cancel matches what Michigan's attorney general described in September 2026. The office sued under the Consumer Protection Act, alleging operators took large deposits from Michigan consumers, kept taking them knowing closure was imminent, and failed to refund after stores closed. Confirm franchise status and licensing yourself. If you already paid and got neither a unit nor a refund, contact Michigan AG Consumer Protection at 877-765-8388 or your own state attorney general.
How to spot it
- A large deposit is taken up front for a standby home generator, then delivery or installation stalls and a refund is delayed or refused when the store closes or you cancel.
- The seller keeps accepting deposits even as the store's future looks uncertain, or after franchise problems become known.
- After the store closes or the franchise ends, you get neither the generator nor a deposit refund.
What to do
- Slow down before any large deposit for a home generator. Get the total price, delivery timeline, and refund terms in writing.
- Confirm the seller's license and current franchise status yourself—through your state and the franchisor—before money changes hands.
- Prefer a payment method you can dispute if the unit never arrives.
Example Community Credit Union will never:
- Ask for your password or a one-time security code.
- Ask you to move money to a new account to keep it safe.
- Ask for your full card number or PIN by phone, text, or email.
- Send someone to your home to collect cash or a bank card.
Not sure whether a message is really from us? Contact us using a phone number or website you already know, never one given in the message itself.
Prepared for Example Community Credit Union by The End Scams Project. General scam-safety information, not legal or financial advice.
October 5, 2026 · For older adults
Door-to-Door Solar Pitch Promises Free Power Bills? Slow Down
A scam alert from Example Community Credit Union
Slow down if a door-to-door or online solar pitch promises free power bills or rushes you into a loan. Some drop a real utility's name or push a same-day eligibility check. On September 28, 2026 WIBW reported that Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a petition alleging door-to-door scripts that falsely claimed ties to Kansas electric utilities, and long third-party solar loans that remained after the promised savings did not arrive. Do not sign financing at the door; call the utility on the number printed on your bill.
How to spot it
- An unexpected door knock or social media ad for rooftop solar promises free or zero electric bills, or says you will never pay a power bill.
- The seller drops a real electric utility's name or shows that utility's branding in the pitch or ads.
- You are rushed into a long solar loan, financing paperwork, or a same-day eligibility check.
What to do
- Do not sign solar financing or contracts at the door. Take the paperwork and decide later.
- Verify any claimed utility partnership by calling the number printed on your electric bill—not a number the seller gives you.
- Look up the contractor's license with your state before any money or signature changes hands.
Example Community Credit Union will never:
- Ask for your password or a one-time security code.
- Ask you to move money to a new account to keep it safe.
- Ask for your full card number or PIN by phone, text, or email.
- Send someone to your home to collect cash or a bank card.
Not sure whether a message is really from us? Contact us using a phone number or website you already know, never one given in the message itself.
Prepared for Example Community Credit Union by The End Scams Project. General scam-safety information, not legal or financial advice.
September 28, 2026 · Reported in Texas · for older adults
CenterPoint or Entergy Shutoff Call? Hang Up and Check
A scam alert from Example Community Credit Union
A call or text demanding payment right now to stop a shutoff is a sign of a scam, even when caller ID shows your utility's name or its real call-center number. In October 2026, Idaho's attorney general said calls, texts, and emails about planned outages were handing out fake Idaho Power numbers, and City of Tampa Utilities said callers may be spoofing its call center number. CenterPoint and Entergy say a real disconnection comes after advance notice. Hang up and call the number printed on your bill.
How to spot it
- The call or text demands payment right now or says power or gas will be cut off today, often within the hour.
- Caller ID shows your utility's name or even its real call-center number. City of Tampa Utilities and CenterPoint both say callers can fake this.
- The caller wants your card number on the call. City of Tampa Utilities says its staff send card payments to an online tool, so no card numbers are exchanged with them.
What to do
- Hang up, or do not reply to the text. You can check your account without anything the caller gave you.
- Call the number printed on your bill, or sign in through the company's own website or app, and ask whether anything is overdue. Entergy's customer line is 800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749). In Tampa, call the Utilities Call Center at (813) 274-8811 or check utilities.tampa.gov. Idaho Power Customer Care is 208-388-2323 (Treasure Valley) or 800-488-6151.
- If your electricity bill comes from a retail electricity provider, as it does for most homes around Houston, call that company on the number on the bill.
Example Community Credit Union will never:
- Ask for your password or a one-time security code.
- Ask you to move money to a new account to keep it safe.
- Ask for your full card number or PIN by phone, text, or email.
- Send someone to your home to collect cash or a bank card.
Not sure whether a message is really from us? Contact us using a phone number or website you already know, never one given in the message itself.
Prepared for Example Community Credit Union by The End Scams Project. General scam-safety information, not legal or financial advice.