FARMINGTON – A recent wave of scams have targeted Central Maine Power customers in the area, with callers purporting to represent the company demanding money over the phone.
On its website, CMP notes that its customers can be a common target for scams, as almost every Maine resident pays utility bills.
Scammers will sometimes ask the resident to purchase a debit card, such as the so-called “Green Dot” cards, to make payments. In some instances, a tactic called “spoofing” is used where the calls may appear on a Caller ID as the utility company. In other cases, the perpetrators provide callback numbers that answer with the same recorded greeting as the utility’s customer service line. Some efforts even included a confirmation e-mail in the rare event a customer completes a payment.
CMP notes that it never calls customers for payment if the account is in good standing. The company will send a letter and call a customer prior to proceeding with disconnection, but will never demand a specific form of payment – especially a specific brand of prepaid card. Payments should never be made if the caller tells the customer to dial a different number.
Customers can always check their account balance and any past-due amount status on CMP’s secure Web site. Visit http://www.cmpco.com and click on “Your Account” to get started. The address to mail payments is: CMP, P.O. Box 847810, Boston, MA 02284-7810.
If a resident believes they may have fallen victim to a scam, they should immediately contact local police and the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/).
I had a message on my answering machine Wednesday from these scammers stating my bill was past due and to go to cmpco/paytoday to make payment. Be Careful…
Come on families educate your folks so they w on t fall for these scams, I tell the elderly all the time, Do not give out any information to anyone, hang up! I just feel so bad that these people have worked hard for their money and it only take one person to prey on them. So sad.