Sheriff's Department Warns of Electricity Scam

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department issued a warning Thursday about a scam involving alleged illegal electrical tapping. 

Recently, Camarillo homeowners have been contacted by someone who explains the residents' electricity has been tapped into, causing extra charges. The homeowner is instructed to pay for the extra electricity by having a money order made out to a third party—in the most recent cases, Green-dot Money Pac. The homeoner is instructed to bring the money order back to his or her home, call a phone number and a service person would come by to fix the illegal tap and collect the money order.

In a recent case, a Camarillo homeowner went to a local CVS store to get the money order, even though he'd recently paid his Edison electric bill—as he had for the last 40 years. The CVS clerk mentioned that another person had also come in to get a money order for the same thing only to find out it was a scam. The clerk suggested the homeowner contact the police, which he did, and the Sheriff's Department confirmed it was a scam.

The departpent reminds residents that if something doesn't seem right or they believe they are or might be victims of a scam, they should call the Sheriff's department at 805-654-9511 to report the incident.