Burlington Electric Department (BED) and Green Mountain Power (GMP) are alerting customers about a rise in scam calls this morning. The scammers claim to be from GMP, call from a number that pops up as GMP, demand immediate payment and threaten to cut off power within just 30 minutes. Your local power company would never do that. If you receive a call like that, just hang up – it is a scam.
GMP customers started alerting the company first thing this morning about strange calls, and Burlington Electric Department was not spared, either. “At Burlington Electric, safety is our number one value. This priority includes the financial security of our customers. We encourage our customers who receive suspicious calls to hang up immediately and to contact the Attorney General at their earliest convenience,” said Mike Kanarick, BED Manager of Customer Care, Communications, and Energy Services.
“We are always here to work with our customers. We don’t threaten immediate shut off, or demand immediate payment by credit card or pre-paid cards. If someone does this – just hang up, it is a scam,” said Mary Morris, Manager of Customer Care for Green Mountain Power.
At least a dozen customers have reported the scam calls today, indicating more customers may have been targeted.
Customers are urged to remember that if you get a call like this you should hang up. Also:
• Do not provide payment or personal information
• Do not engage with the caller
• Do not call back that number
• Call GMP Customer Service at 888-835-4672 or BED customer service at 802-865-7300 to report the call, and any details about it, like the number it came from, the caller’s name, and what the caller said
Customers are also encouraged to report this scam to the Vermont Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program at 800-649-2424 (in state) or 802-656-3183 or online at https://ago.vermont.gov/cap/.