Troubleshooter: North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper says beware scammers who say your power will be cut
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper is warning consumers not to be taken in by scammers who call and threaten that electric service will be cut off unless payment is made immediately.
"Scammers continue to make calls threatening consumers and small businesses to pay up or lose power, and we're concerned that the cold weather will give their threats extra force," Cooper said.
Duke Energy said some of its customers have fallen victim to the scam.
"Duke Energy remains committed to working with our law enforcement and industry partners to combat this crime and to keep our customers informed," said Duke Energy Senior Vice President of Customer Services Gayle Lanier.
Officials said scammers claim to be a representative of Duke Energy or another utility company. They often manipulate Caller ID to make it look like the call comes from the real utility.
The victims are instructed to buy reloadable debit cards and call back to keep their power on.
Duke says it never asks customers with delinquent accounts to pay by prepaid debit card to avoid having their service disconnected.
Cooper said if you get one of the calls, hang up and report it to the Attorney General's Office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or online at www.ncdoj.gov.
