Pacific Power issues telephone scam alert

“We urge our customers to be extremely careful always, but especially right now,” said Karen Gilmore, vice president of customer service.

“Scammers have hit customers in Walla Walla and Astoria and may be targeting other communities as well. Please be on guard, demand verification. Our employees would not be using these tactics.”

Customers should never provide unsolicited callers or visitors with credit card numbers or any other information that may compromise their financial security.

Switching to paperless billing may also provide more security by avoiding potential theft of utility bills from the mailbox or trash can.

This is how the scam is being run: Scammers call customers claiming to be from Pacific Power. The scammers say the customer has past due payments and is in jeopardy of being disconnected.

The caller advises the customer to make a payment either immediately on the phone via credit card, by calling a special number or by going to a local store to purchase a pre-paid card and calling back with the code.

Utility customers should be aware this is not a legitimate request and Pacific Power does not follow this practice.

When Pacific Power contacts a customer, the representative will always have the customer’s account number. Even then, if you are contacted by phone and have any concerns about the validity of the call, it is always appropriate to let the caller know you prefer to call them back at the utility’s published customer service number.

Pacific Power can be reached any time, toll free at 1-888-221-7070.

Anyone receiving such calls or other forms of contact regarding their utility bill is encouraged to pay close attention to any information - such as the phone number they are asked to call, a number that appears on caller ID, an address where they’re told to send money - and to report the incident to local police and Pacific Power.