Scam alert: Cobb officials warn of a new utility fraud scheme

Treat every email with a huge grain of salt. (Stuart Miles/Dreamstime/TNS)

Treat every email with a huge grain of salt. (Stuart Miles/Dreamstime/TNS)

A new utility scam has cropped up this week, Marietta officials warn.

The city and Marietta Power and Water said they were notified that “some nefarious individuals” have been calling local businesses pretending to be from the utility company.

The scammers used a fake recording from the city’s phone system and prompted customers to call the bunk system to pay their utility bill or else service would be discontinued, the city explained.

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“The perpetrators are very aggressive with their demands and insist that customers meet with them or call into the fraudulent phone system to pay immediately,” the city said in a news release.

The utility’s IT and Customer Care Division staff are in monitoring and are in touch with law enforcement “to stop this activity and prosecute the perpetrators.”

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There have also been reports of customers getting calls from what appears to be the city but is actually a false caller ID. From there, they threatening to disconnect service if customers don’t purchase a pre-paid card and either meet the individuals or call back with the card information.

This type of scam has been used in Cobb in the past.

The city said neither they nor the utility service will ask you do that.

If you’re unsure, the city encourages you to hang up and call Marietta Power and Water back at 770-794-5150.

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