Energy Scam Could Come To Strongsville

STRONGSVILLE, OH — There is a new scam that has targeted cities and villages around Northeast Ohio. And Strongsville has passed a warning about the scam onto its residents.

In this fraud, a caller will pose as an electric utility employee and will threaten to "shut off" a resident's power. To stop the power being shut off a resident will need to make an immediate payment to "the utility" in the form of a pre-paid debit card.

Victims of the scam have specifically been asked to make payments with either a pre-paid debit card, a Green Dot/MoneyPak card, or via a money transfer service like Money Gram or Western Union.

FirstEnergy said on its website that if an account is actually past due, a resident will first get a written notice. That notice will simply instruct the individual on how to avoid having their power shut off. If a payment is still not made, a FirstEnergy representative may call a customer, but they would never demand payment in any of the above listed ways.

"Our utilities do not accept prepaid debit cards or wire transfers as payment, and our representatives will not demand your bank information or credit card number over the phone," the company said on its website.

If a suspicious call is made to a resident, they are encouraged to hang up immediately. Some scammers have call spoofing technology that allows them to mimic FirstEnergy's numbers. If a customer is concerned about their account status, they should "always call our Customer Service department using the numbers on our website, or log in to your account on our website," FirstEnergy noted on its website.

In the rare case that a scammer actually comes to your door, they should not be allowed into your home and you should share no personal information with them.

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