Skip to main content

Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Skip to the main navigation menu.

Skip to the main content area of the page.

Clouds with lightning bolt Reporting an Outage
Computer monitor and mobile phone View & Pay Bill - SmartHub
Hand with payment card Pay Now
House under construction Start New Service
Two stick people leaning on each other Helping Members
Several bank notes Get $100
Golf ball on a tee Golf Outing
An academic mortarboard cap Scholarships

  • Facebook

  • Vimeo
Home

Valley Rural Energy Services: Learn More About VRES  
Toll-free: 800-432-0680 | Pay-by-phone: 855-922-3147
Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 7 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

HIC Number PA130865

Menu

Notices

  • Our offices will be closed May 26, 2025. Click for details.

Navigation Menu
  • Home
  • Billing Info
    • View & Pay Bill
    • Residential Bill
    • Payment Options
    • SmartHub Overview
      • SmartHub for the Web
      • SmartHub for iOS
      • SmartHub for Android
    • Disconnection Policy
    • Rates
    • FAQs About Rates
    • Fees
    • Definitions
      • Purchased Power Adjustment
  • Member Info
    • The Cooperative Difference
    • Bylaws and Forms
    • Annual Report
    • Capital Credits
    • Directors and Districts
    • Member Meetings
    • Recent Posts
    • Penn Lines
    • Valley News
    • Scam Alerts
  • Programs & Services
    • Valley Rural Energy Services
      • Generator Sales and Installation
      • Generator Transfer Switches
      • Whole Home Surge Protection
      • Electrical Service Work
      • Water Heater Sales
      • Water Heater Rebates
      • Home Energy Audits
      • LED Light Bulbs
    • Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
    • Community Service Grant Program
    • Co-op Connections Program
    • Demand Response
      • Demand Response Details
    • Educational Programs
    • For Kids
    • Golf Outing
    • Members Helping Members
    • Scholarships - Brighter Future
      • 2024 Recipients
      • 2023 Recipients
      • 2022 Recipients
      • 2021 Recipients
      • 2020 Recipients
      • 2019 Recipients
      • 2018 Recipients
      • 2017 Recipients
      • 2016 Recipients
      • 2015 Recipients
      • 2014 Recipients
      • 2013 Recipients
      • 2012 Recipients
      • 2011 Recipients
      • 2010 Recipients
    • Youth Tour
  • Safety
    • Indoor Safety
    • Reporting an Outage
    • Storm Center
    • Safety Quiz
    • Safe Electricity
  • Save Energy
    • Electric Shift
    • Energy Calculators
  • About Us
    • Contact Info
    • Offices and Hours
    • Service Territory
    • Job Openings
    • Legal Information
    • About Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
    • Cooperative Principles
    • Off-site Links
    • Site Map

Scammers Targeting SmartHub Users with Phishing Attacks

Content Area

Thursday | December 5, 2024
All News

December 5, 2024

Beware!

National Information Solutions Cooperative, Inc. (NISC) informed Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) and other cooperatives that scammers are using phishing campaigns that imitate the SmartHub® log-in or landing page in order to obtain personal and financial information.

What is a phishing campaign?

A phishing email or text is a fake message designed by cybercriminals to look like a real message from a person, organization, or business that you might know. The scammers hope that familiarity or urgency will cause you to lower your guard and click on a bogus link or attachment to steal your personal or financial data or to install a virus.

What is SmartHub?

Created by NISC, SmartHub is Valley REC's electronic account presentment and payment software. For more information about SmartHub, visit our SmartHub Overview page.

What are the details of the SmartHub phishing scam?

Members of an electric cooperative that uses NISC's SmartHub software reported that they received an email containing a link to a page impersonating the SmartHub log-in page. This fake page seemed legitimate and included the SmartHub logo and the cooperative's logo.

However, the web address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for the page was not the correct one for the real SmartHub log-in page. This was the first red flag that the site was not legitimate.

After logging in, a person was then prompted to enter a variety of sensitive data, including name, address, credit card number, expiration date, card security code, date of birth, mother's maiden name, and social security number. The last three items were definitely not needed to make a payment in SmartHub. This was another red flag that this was a scam.

How can you protect yourself?

If you use SmartHub and have not activated multi-factor (or two-factor) authentication, you can activate it to prevent hackers or scammers from gaining access to your SmartHub account. Multi-factor authentication requires that you provide more than one form of authentication (often a code sent to you) to access your account.

Be wary of text messages or emails with attachments or suspicious links. Do not open attachments or click links unless you are expecting the message, know the sender, and are certain the content is safe. Learn how to determine if a Valley REC or SmartHub message or website is legitimate.

Valley Rural Electric Cooperative's SmartHub log-in screen

If our SmartHub log-in screen does not look like the image above, a green background with the SmartHub logo and white entry boxes for Email address and Password, then it is likely a fake. Our Pay Now screen looks very similar to the log-in screen. The phrase "Welcome to the Pay Now Site" appears under the logo, and the Email and Password boxes are replaced with Account Number and Last Name or Business Name boxes. However, scammers could try to create look-a-like versions of these screens, so you need to do more investigating. Check for grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. Also, double check the link that brought you to the screen to make certain it is legitimate.

How can you tell if an email or text claiming to be from Valley REC or SmartHub is legitimate and not a scam?

  • If you are not a member of Valley REC, or if you are not signing up for service with the co-op or doing business with the co-op, then the message is probably a scam. We do not send emails or texts to non-members or folks who have not contacted us.
  • If you are a member of Valley REC or doing business with the co-op but did not ask to receive emails or texts from us or from SmartHub, then the message is probably a scam. We only send messages to members who have chosen to receive them or to people who have contacted us.
  • If you are a member of Valley REC or doing business with the co-op and have chosen to receive messages from us, check the email address of the sender. It should end with @smarthub.coop or @valleyrec.com. If that is not the case, then the message is likely a scam.
  • If you are still suspicious or unsure about the message, call us toll-free at 1-800-432-0680 during normal business hours to discuss the matter.

How can you tell if a website is a legitimate Valley REC site or a legitimate SmartHub site?

If you are told to click on a link to pay your bill or to take you to the co-op's website or the SmartHub site, move your mouse over the link but do not click the link. Wait for a pop-up box to appear showing the web address of the link. To be a valid link, it should start with https and should be one of the following. Make certain that the spelling and punctuation match.

  • Valley REC website
    https://www.valleyrec.com
    This might be followed by additional text if the link is taking you to a specific page of our website.
  • Pay Now
    https://valleyrec.smarthub.coop/PayNow.html or
    https://valleyrec.smarthub.coop/ui/#/paynow
  • View and Pay Bill | SmartHub | Log In
    https://valleyrec.smarthub.coop/ or
    https://valleyrec.smarthub.coop/ui/#/login
  • Start New Service | Sign Up For New Service
    https://valleyrec.smarthub.coop/Login.html#newconnect or
    https://valleyrec.smarthub.coop/ui/#/newConnect/serviceLocation
  • Register Now | Account Registration
    https://valleyrec.smarthub.coop/ui/#/registration
  • Access Your Account | Account Access
    https://valleyrec.smarthub.coop/ui/#/accountAccess

Always remember, if you suspect an email, text, or link might be fake, do not reply or click. Call us toll-free at 1-800-432-0680 during normal business hours to verify that we sent the message.

For more information on spotting and avoiding scams, check out the article National Slam The Scam Day.

Scam Alert image by BearyBoo from Pixabay.

Items of Interest

We Make Safety a Priority. Valley REC. Proud member of Safe Electricity® since 2017.

Valley Rural Energy Services offered by Valley Rural Electric Cooperative
HIC Number PA130865

SmartHub Access My Account logo

MORE SAVINGS, MORE MILESTONES. The one card that does it all. Connections.coop - Two graduates in caps and gowns hugging.

Call 811 - Know what's below. Call before you dig. (PA One Call)

Touchstone Energy Cooperatives' Home Energy Adventure

Cp-ops Vote 5-Star Program

Proud to be a 5-Star Co-op 2021-2021

 

Back to Top

Main Address

Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

10700 Fairgrounds Road

PO Box 477

Huntingdon, PA 16652-0477

 

Phone Numbers

Telephone: 814-643-2650

Toll-free: 800-432-0680

Pay-by-phone: 855-922-3147

Fax: 814-643-1678

 

Office Hours

Monday - Thursday

7 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

 

HIC Number PA130865

Follow us!


  • Facebook

  • Vimeo

The Touchstone Energy® name and logo design, the Co-op Connections® name,
the tagline "The One Card That Does It All®," and the tagline "The Power of Human Connections®"
are federally registered trademarks and may not be used without permission.

NISC, SmartHub, and the SmartHub Logo are registered trademarks of National Information Solutions Cooperative, Inc. (NISC) in the U.S. and other countries.

Safe Electricity® is a registered trademark of the Energy Education Council.

Quick Links

  • Contact Info
  • Reporting an Outage
  • Off-site Links
  • Recent Posts
  • Site Map

©2025 Valley Rural Electric Cooperative. Your Touchstone Energy Cooperative.

  • Home
  • Billing Info
    • View & Pay Bill
    • Residential Bill
    • Payment Options
    • SmartHub Overview
      • SmartHub for the Web
      • SmartHub for iOS
      • SmartHub for Android
    • Disconnection Policy
    • Rates
    • FAQs About Rates
    • Fees
    • Definitions
      • Purchased Power Adjustment
  • Member Info
    • The Cooperative Difference
    • Bylaws and Forms
    • Annual Report
    • Capital Credits
    • Directors and Districts
    • Member Meetings
    • Recent Posts
    • Penn Lines
    • Valley News
    • Scam Alerts
  • Programs & Services
    • Valley Rural Energy Services
      • Generator Sales and Installation
      • Generator Transfer Switches
      • Whole Home Surge Protection
      • Electrical Service Work
      • Water Heater Sales
      • Water Heater Rebates
      • Home Energy Audits
      • LED Light Bulbs
    • Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
    • Community Service Grant Program
    • Co-op Connections Program
    • Demand Response
      • Demand Response Details
    • Educational Programs
    • For Kids
    • Golf Outing
    • Members Helping Members
    • Scholarships - Brighter Future
      • 2024 Recipients
      • 2023 Recipients
      • 2022 Recipients
      • 2021 Recipients
      • 2020 Recipients
      • 2019 Recipients
      • 2018 Recipients
      • 2017 Recipients
      • 2016 Recipients
      • 2015 Recipients
      • 2014 Recipients
      • 2013 Recipients
      • 2012 Recipients
      • 2011 Recipients
      • 2010 Recipients
    • Youth Tour
  • Safety
    • Indoor Safety
    • Reporting an Outage
    • Storm Center
    • Safety Quiz
    • Safe Electricity
  • Save Energy
    • Electric Shift
    • Energy Calculators
  • About Us
    • Contact Info
    • Offices and Hours
    • Service Territory
    • Job Openings
    • Legal Information
    • About Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
    • Cooperative Principles
    • Off-site Links
    • Site Map