Conway police are warning the public about a new phone scam where the callers pose as Horry County Electric employees.
Police have received information regarding an unknown caller posing as an electric employee demanding immediate payment of bills over the phone. The caller threatens to disconnect power to the residence if the bill is not paid, said Lt. Selena Small, with Conway police.
The caller may also ask residents to go to a local store a load money on a debit card or wire money, Small said.
Horry Electric has advised customers that they will not conduct business in this manner and that you can contact them directly at 369-2211 to verify the information or to report bogus collection calls, Small said.
“Unfortunately these phone, mail, and e-mail scams are occurring more often with the caller/scanner using more creative and varying stories to obtain monies under false pretenses,” Small said. “While it would be impossible to warn the public of every scenario that a scammer may use, we can conclusively advise you that reputable businesses and organizations are not going to contact you and request your personal information.”
Small recommends visiting the Better Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org/myrtle-beach/get-consumer-help/scam-source/ or Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/ to stay updated on scams or to receive scam alerts.
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