ST. GEORGE — While Rocky Mountain Power is giving its customers a reprieve from overdue notices during the holidays, scam artists are offering no such courtesy.
St. George News was caught in the web of a common scheme Wednesday morning when the Canyon Media offices were called by a man going by the name “Alexander” claiming to be a representative from Rocky Mountain Power warning that the power would be shut off in 30 minutes due to delinquent payment.
Having reported on similar scams several times in the past, it didn’t take long for personnel at the office to catch on to Alexander’s attempt at extortion, and a call to Rocky Mountain Power’s official hotline confirmed those suspicions.
Listen to a recording of the scam call in the video player above.
David Eskelsen, a media representative with Rocky Mountain Power, told St. George News the company does not and never has issued 30-minue shutoff notices over the phone.
In fact, during the winter months, the company relies exclusively on notices delivered directly to costumers’ doors a minimum of 48 business hours before power is turned off for nonpayment. And during the holidays, no shutoff notices are being issued at all. Those notices will resume Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Eskelsen advises customers who receive such calls to hang up the phone and call the company’s main customer service number, 888-221-7070.
Taking a record of the phone number from which the scam call originated can be helpful, Eskelsen said, adding that it’s still difficult to track down who’s behind the fraud attempt because these operations are frequently conducted overseas.
“These days, it’s kind of a common nuisance that we have to deal with,” he said. “We prefer to educate our customers on how to recognize the scams.”
A customer service representative with the company said it is heartbreaking when people fall for the schemes, recalling a case in which an elderly man was instructed to purchase three $500 prepaid Visa cards by the fraudsters.
Eskelsen said a request for payment in gift card or prepaid debit card is the tell-tale sign of a scam. This form of payment typically cannot be tracked nor refunded, making it the ideal form of currency for fraudsters.
Rocky Mountain Power provides power to a substantial number of customers in communities throughout Southern Utah, in both Washington and Iron counties.
The company is asking anyone who has suspicions about a phone call to hang up and call its customer service line at 888-221-7070.
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