NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. — The Newberry County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about yet another scam call circulating in the region that's attempting to separate power customers from their money.
According to a short statement shared by the sheriff's office online, locals are receiving calls that, like many, begin with a recording. That recording claims that the message is from Dominion Energy and that the recipient's bill is past due and will be cut off in 30 minutes if the resident doesn't pay up.
One thing that makes this particular scam more believable is the fact that the caller may even have the person's name and address. However, one commonality this has with other spam calls is that the scammer may ask for payment in the form of gift cards. Experts suggest this is a red flag.
"The utility companies do not operate this way and do not ask for gift cards to pay any bills," the sheriff's office said.
Customers who feel they may be getting scammed should call a number they already have on file for Dominion Energy, check their account online, or use the utility's phone app.