MORGANTOWN —Butch Lee knew his electric bill was paid up when he got a call demanding a payment and threatening to shut his power off anyway.
A little legwork and he discovered it was just the latest in an ever-growing number of scam telephone calls trying to take people’s money.
Lee said the caller left a voicemail claiming to be from Mon Power and threatening to shut his power off, sending him into a “tizzy” because the 74-year-old needs oxygen.
“Anyways, I called thinking I was calling Mon Power, even though I knew good and well my bill was current and paid,” Lee said.
The caller used an 877 number, which accordin g to the Federal Communications Commission, is a toll-free number.
Lee’s call was answered by a recording that he described as identical to Mon Power’s and prompted him to speak his issue. No matter what Lee said, though, the machine didn’t recognize his requests and after the fourth time it connected him to a person.
That person was hard to understand and reiterated the overdue payment and threat of cutting off Lee’s power. Lee said he still didn’t realize it was a scam and asked the person who answered to check the record for his payments because he had the canceled checks to show he was current on his bill.
Lee asked to speak with someone else and was hung up on. He called back and went through the same thing, but didn’t give them the $435 requested.
That happened on a weekend. The following Monday, Lee called Mon Power, through the number printed on his bill. A company representative confirmed the earlier call was a scam.
According to the power company’s website, it sends written notices to customers who are behind on a bill and face a service disconnection.
Monongalia County Sheriff Perry Palmer said one of the biggest giveaways that a call is a scam is if a caller tries to get someone to send money through pre-paid credit cards or money transfer services.
To avoid being scammed, Palmer suggests doing exactly what Lee did — call from a number found on an official website or correspondence.
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