Columbus, 4-County Utilities Warn of Scam

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. — Columbus Light and Water and 4-County Electric are warning customers about two scams targeting their customers.

In both cases, it appears scammers are using technology that lets them imitate or fake caller ID information.
It works like this: the scammer calls a potential victim posing as a representative of the utility, demanding a payment or asking for sensitive banking or personal information.

The scammer uses “spoofing” technology that fakes caller ID information so that it appears they are actually calling from 4-County.

The fake caller ID makes it almost impossible to tell the difference from a real call from 4-County or any other utility provider and a scammer.

Even when they don’t use fake caller ID, scammers are demanding payment and sometimes telling customers to go to a local store and buy prepaid credit cards and call a number back with the credit card number. Remember, the utilities do not call members asking for payment or for any kind of sensitive banking, credit or personal information.

Legitimate phone numbers and contact information for the utilities can be found at the utilities’ website, www.4county.org, in the phone book, or on your latest statement. If you believe you have been contacted by one of these scammers, please notify your local law enforcement.

Categories: Crime, Local News

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