Police: Power Company Phone Scam Hits Herndon

Sign up for the Herndon Patch newsletter!

A phone scam involving power companies that has swept through Virginia in the last few months has burned a number of Herndon residents and businesses.

Several customers have been the targets of recent fraud attempts by phone scammers posing as Dominion Power representatives, the Herndon police announced Wednesday.

It works like this: The caller will contact a business or resident by telephone, tell them their account is past due, and threaten to disconnect electrical service immediately if payment is not made. The caller will ask for immediate payment in cash via PayPal, ReloadIt, MoneyPak, Green Dot or any prepaid debit card.

After the customer buys the prepaid debit card, he or she is instructed to provide its code number to the caller. The caller will then access the money from the debit card, and the customer loses those funds.

Last week, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring warned that this scam has targeted consumers all over the commonwealth this year, including customers of Dominion Power and numerous other power companies.

Herring, Dominion Virginia Power and the other utility firms have reminded customers that power companies do not take payments over the phone, and they never ask for immediate payment via cash, PayPal or any prepaid debit card as a condition of keeping the lights on.

If you receive a call from someone claiming they’re from Dominion Power demanding immediate payment with a threat of the power being cut off, you should be suspicious. You should stop the conversation and call Dominion Power directly using the contact information on your Dominion Power bill. A legitimate Dominion Power employee will not tell you to obtain a debit card for immediate payment.

Report suspicious activity to the Herndon Police Department at 703-435-6846. Dominion Power can be reached by calling 866-DOM-HELP.