It happens all too often, but scammers are busy trying to trick people into giving up personal or banking information in order to defraud people of their hard-earned money.  One of the favorite targets of scammers is utility customers. 

Recently, a scammer attempting to convince a local resident to give them money, called a Chattooga County resident and asked them for their personal banking information in order to avoid utility disconnection.  The resident wisely refused to give the scammer what they wanted.  The person told WZQZ News that they knew that their utility bills were withdrawn directly from their bank account.

Georgia Power says:

• If an account becomes past due, Georgia Power will contact the customer via a pre-recorded message to the primary account telephone number or by letter requesting that the customer call to discuss the account.
• If a customer receives a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from Georgia Power and demanding payment to avoid disconnection, the customer should hang up and contact the company’s official customer service line at 888-660-5890. As scammers have tried to promote the use of fraudulent 800 numbers, customers should always check to make sure they are calling the correct Georgia Power customer service line at 888-660-5890, which can be verified at www.GeorgiaPower.com/ContactUs.
• Delete all emails that demand immediate payment or personal information or that are not from Georgia Power.
• If an employee needs to visit a customer’s home or business for a service-related issue, they will be in uniform and present a badge with a photo, their name and Georgia Power logo. They will also be in a vehicle marked with the company’s logo.