Dominion Power Scam Dupes Sterling Resident: LCSO

STERLING, VA—An area resident fell victim to a familiar power company scam Saturday in the 20 block of Simeon Lane, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. The bogus demand is simple: pay an overdue bill or have your power terminated.

In this case, a man reported he received a phone call from a man claiming to be an employee with "Dominion Energy." He was told he owned money on his account, and was told to pay the balance with Money Pak cards to avoid having his utilities "shut off." The man did so before realizing it was a scam.

Dominion Power has a list of customer tips for such incidents:

• Dominion Virginia Power will never require payment over the phone or require payment on a pre-paid debit card.
• Dominion does not direct customers to make payment at any of their offices; designated payment centers can be found online.
• If customers wish to pay their bill by phone, they are directed to BillMatrix at 1-800-573-1147. Please note: customers will never be contacted by BillMatrix requiring payment.)
• If a customer is behind on a monthly bill, they should contact Dominion to set up a mutually agreed upon payment plan. Dominion provides a customer with notifications on their bill before power is disconnected.
• If a customer is suspicious of a caller, they are encouraged to collect information from the scammer including the caller's name, any phone numbers or other details before hanging up and reporting to local law enforcement.
• Customers should always call Dominion at 1-866-DOM-HELP to verify that the company is attempting to reach them before releasing any personal information.

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