ORONOCO — A member of People's Energy Cooperative received a call over the weekend from a person threatening to disconnect electrical service if he didn't receive $80 cash within 15 minutes.
According to a news release from the cooperative, the scam involved a telephone call from a man speaking broken English, claiming to be from People's Energy. The caller demanded immediate payment; the member believed it to be suspicious, and didn't make the payment.
Staff members reported the incident to local authorities.
If consumers receive a call from someone claiming to represent their utility company, pressuring them for immediate payment or personal information, they should hang up and call the customer service number on their utility bill.
