Residents in Dalton, Ga., are again being targeted by phone scammers posing as a utility company, according to a police news release.
The Dalton Police Department is investigating reports of phone scammers recently posing as representatives of Dalton Utilities. In an unusual twist on usual phone scams of this type, the phone scammer instructed the potential victim to meet in person at a location in Dalton instead of giving payment information by phone or by loading money onto a prepaid credit card, according to the release.
The department says the utility has warned residents several times recently to beware of phone scammers. The police department has received complaints of phone scammers calling claiming to be from both Georgia Power and also Dalton Utilities and demanding payment to avoid disconnection.
These phone scammers typically demand payment either by taking credit card information over the phone or by instructing victims to go to a store and to load money onto a prepaid "green dot" credit card. However, on at least two occasions, a phone scammer calling from the number 800-973-8007 has instructed a potential victim to go to a specific location with cash to pay the bill and to load a prepaid card at that location.
The scammers gave addresses of 1247 Walnut Avenue (which is a Walgreen's) and 701 Georgia Avenue (which does not appear to exist). No utility company, government agency, or legitimate business will ever demand that you meet with them in person to settle a bill in cash, nor will they demand that you load funds onto a prepaid card, according to the news release.