Some Mississippi Power customers have reported receiving suspicious calls from persons representing themselves as power company collections employees, Biloxi Police say.
During the calls, customers were told they will encounter a service interruption unless payment was received immediately. In order to facilitate payment, customers were instructed to go to various points of sale and transfer or “load” payments to specified account numbers, police say. Verification of a provided account number suggested it was a Master Card number, likely associated with a pre-paid credit or debit card.
Biloxi Police Sgt. Louis Moran warns that scams of this type are common and although different company names may be used, they often share common elements claiming overdue bills, disconnect threats if payment isn’t received and attempting to elicit personal banking information.
In a September statement, Mississippi Power stressed company representatives will never call customers and ask them for personal or banking information. Mississippi Power will never ask a customer to make a payment by purchasing a prepaid credit/debit card.
Police advise consumers who believe they may have been the victim of a scam should contact their local law enforcement agency, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office at 601-359-3680, and Mississippi Power at 800-532-1502.
See anti-scam tips from Mississippi Power
