PARKER, Armstrong County — Central Electric Cooperative is warning of a telephone scam that has targeted its members in the last week.

At least four customers reported suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be representatives from the cooperative.

The cooperative said it will not call and demand immediate payment over the phone with a debit or credit card.

If a member is unsure if the caller is associated with the co-op, hang up and call the office at 800-521-0570.

The phone scammers generally will demand immediate payment over the phone with a debit or credit card and threaten disconnection.

Some fake callers will tell the member to buy a prepaid debit card and call back with the card number. Another recent caller told a member to wire money from the member’s bank to avoid service termination.

The co-op said members should not give out personal or bank information over the phone.