Power Bill Phone Scam Attempted in Ashburn: Police

ASHBURN, VA — This is a scam that's been making the rounds for at least the past several years, and it involves two things: a fake representative of Dominion Power and a telephone.

It happened to a resident Friday afternoon in the 20700 block of Century Corner Drive, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

The resident told police of receiving a phone call from a man claiming to be a Dominion Power technician. He said he'd be forced to disconnect the power unless the resident called an emergency number, presumably to pay an "overdue" bill.

The resident instead called Dominion Power, which said the call was a scam.

The company has a list of customer tips for such incidents:

• Dominion Virginia Power will never require payment over the phone or require payment on a pre-paid debit card.
• Dominion does not direct customers to make payment at any of their offices; designated payment centers can be found online.
• If customers wish to pay their bill by phone, they are directed to BillMatrix at 1-800-573-1147. Please note: customers will never be contacted by BillMatrix requiring payment.)
• If a customer is behind on a monthly bill, they should contact Dominion to set up a mutually agreed upon payment plan. Dominion provides a customer with notifications on their bill before power is disconnected.
• If a customer is suspicious of a caller, they are encouraged to collect information from the scammer including the caller's name, any phone numbers or other details before hanging up and reporting to local law enforcement.
• Customers should always call Dominion at 1-866-DOM-HELP to verify that the company is attempting to reach them before releasing any personal information.

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