Power Company, Arrest Scams Going Around In Vienna

At least two residents have reported phone scams to Vienna Police last week, according to the latest crime report.

One of these cases was a Vienna business owner receiving a call Thursday, March 29 that his power payments were late. The caller pretended to be a Dominion Power employee and appeared to call from a local phone number.

When the caller asked for payment information, the business owner got suspicious and hung up. He then called Dominion Power and confirmed that his account was in good standing. A second resident reported a similar call received on Friday, March 23.

Another resident was nearly duped by an unrelated scam. A bank representative called police on Tuesday, March 27 after a customer withdrew $9,000 in cash, which indicated he might be a victim of fraud. The bank teller turned out to be right, as the customer returned to deposit the money.

The customer told police a scammer called saying his nephew was arrested and that he needed to pay bail. But the bank teller had warned the call could be fraudulent, leading the customer to check that his nephew wasn't in jail.

Every year, thousands of people give money away to scammers in the U.S., according to the Federal Trade Commission. Residents can usually avoid most scam calls by registering phone numbers with the National Do Not Call Registry. If you still received unsolicited calls, report them at the same website.

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