SOUTH WINDSOR — Police are warning local businesses about a scam targeting businesses who are led to believe that their power will be shut off if they don’t pay up immediately.
Police said they received several calls in the past two weeks from businesses saying the owners received phone calls supposedly from Eversource Energy. The owners were told to pay their utility bills with a wire transfer or a prepaid money card immediately, otherwise their electricity would be cut off.
Eversource’s policy is to notify customers in writing prior to a shut off, and not by phone.
The callers said the shut off would happen immediately unless the owners went to a local business where they could purchase a re-loadable debit card. The caller asked the business owner to call back and provide the access codes for the debit card.
Police said the caller ID may have been altered so that it looked like the calls were coming from the power company.
Customers who have a question about calls from Eversource can contact the company at 1-800-286-2000. Residents should also call police if they believe they received a fake call. Police are advising residents not to share any information and do not buy a money order card, and to hang up and call Eversource.
