JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Police in Johnson City say a scam that had stopped for several months has returned.

Officers say a person posing as an employee of the Johnson City Power board has been calling people and business saying that if overdue bills weren't immediately paid, power would be shut off. The caller demands payment in the form of prepaid, reloadable gift cards.

Police say a similar scam occurred in September, bu stopped for several months.

The power board and police officers are cautioning customers to be skeptical of such calls and ask for the representative's name, department and phone number before calling the power board.