AG warns of telephone scam targeting power customers

The scammers target customers of Duke Energy and other utilities, often manipulating caller ID to make it appear legitimate.

Cooper said the scams increase during colder weather. So far this year, 42 consumers and small business owners have reported receiving scam calls to the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division. They’ve lost a combined total of $7,500.

“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,” he said in a statement.

A representative from Duke Energy said the utility is aware of the scam and is working with law enforcement and industry partners to combat the problem.

During the call, consumers are told to make the payment using a reloadable debit card such as a Green Dot MoneyPak card. Victims purchase the card, load it with funds and then call the phony utility employee back to provide the card number needed to access the money.

Those who have become victims of the scam this year include a Durham restaurant that lost $700, a Raleigh shop that lost $500, a Clayton deli and grocery that lost $813, a Charlotte spa that lost $495, and a restaurant in Oriental that lost more than $2,500.