*CONSUMER ALERT*
Attorney General Cuccinelli warns Virginians of bill
payment scam targeting utility customers
RICHMOND (June 17, 2013) - Today, Attorney General Ken
Cuccinelli warned Virginians to be cautious of scam phone calls from individuals
who claim to be an employee of their electric utility provider and demand
immediate payment of their bill. There have been several recent reports of
citizens receiving calls, where the caller claims to be a company employee and
threatens to shut off electric service unless a delinquent bill is paid within a
matter of hours. Those called are then encouraged to go to Walmart or another
retailer to purchase a Green Dot Visa card or other pre-paid debit card so that
funds can be loaded onto the card and a payment can be made over the phone to
the scammer. The scammers appear to be specifically targeting Spanish-speaking
customers, the elderly, and businesses in the state. The scammers sometimes are
able to gain an additional aura of legitimacy by "spoofing" the utility's phone
number so that the citizen's Caller ID makes it appear they are receiving a
phone call from their utility.
Instances have been reported to date by customers of Shenandoah Valley
Electric Cooperative, Dominion Virginia Power, and Rappahannock Electric
Cooperative.
Cuccinelli urged all Virginians to protect themselves from these scammers and
offers these tips.
- Always attempt to verify the identity of any individual calling you who
claims to represent a business. Do not provide money or personal information to
an unsolicited caller whose identity you are not able to verify.
- Always take your time making a decision. Legitimate companies won't pressure
you to make a snap decision.
- If you receive a call along the lines described, do not make a payment by
purchasing a Green Dot card or other means. Please do immediately contact your
utility's local office to report the call and to verify your account
status.
- If you received a call along the lines described and you made a payment to
the scammer, report that information to your local law enforcement. You may
also report this information to state or federal law enforcement agencies such
as the Federal Trade Commission.
"Scammers are always coming up with new tricks to take away your hard-earned
money. Taking advantage of innocent people is intolerable, shameful, and
appalling-- especially in this tough economy-- and my office will not stand for
it," said Cuccinelli.
Consumers should know that, although it is possible that their utility may
contact them by phone if they are delinquent on a bill, the utility will never
direct them to make a payment in a specific form, for example,
by Green Dot Card. In those situations, the utility will only inform the
customer of how they may make a payment, such as by coming to the corporate
office and providing a check, money order or cash, or mailing a check with their
most recent bill, or contacting the corporate office and paying by credit or
debit card.
Consumers also should know that their utility typically will not communicate
with them about the potential termination of their electric service over the
phone but instead will do so only through a mailed communication.
"We are taking the necessary steps to inform the citizens of Virginia that
scammers are real, and educating them on how to protect themselves," said
Cuccinelli.
If you have questions about this scam, the Office of the Attorney General's
Consumer Protection telephone counselors are available to assist you with your
consumer questions. Please call the Consumer Protection Hotline at
1-800-552-9963 if calling from Virginia, or 804-786-2042 if calling from the
Richmond area. The Consumer Protection office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
Customers of Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperatives can call toll-free at
1-800-234-7832 and speak with a customer service representative regarding any
questions or concerns.
Customers of Dominion Power can call toll-free at 1-866-366-4357 and speak
with a customer service representative.
Customers of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative can call toll-free at
1-800-552-3904 to speak with a customer service representative.
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