Dominion Energy is reminding customers of the telltale signs of utility scams and what to do to stay safe.
• Slow down — Utility scammers pressure customers to act quickly by instilling fear and a sense of urgency. Stop — Dominion Energy never demands immediate payment and does not accept payment using prepaid or gift cards.
• Hang up — Some scammers may appear on your caller ID as though they are calling from Dominion Energy. When in doubt, do not provide any personal information and hang up.
• Verify — Scammers do not typically know the customer’s account balance. Fact check the scammer’s claims by signing into the Dominion Energy app, online at dominionenergy.com or by calling 866-DOM-HELP.
FOUR SIGNS OF A SCAM
• Scammers pretend to be from an organization you know.
Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government. They might use a real name, like the Social Security Administration, the IRS, or Medicare, or make up a name that sounds official. Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a utility company, a tech company, or even a charity asking for donations.
They use technology to change the phone number that appears on your caller ID. So the name and number you see might not be real.
• Scammers say there’s a problem or a prize.
They might say you’re in trouble with the government. Or you owe money. Or someone in your family had an emergency. Or that there’s a virus on your computer.
Some…