Tri-City electric utilities warn of demanding, persistent scam calls

Tri-City electrical utilities are warning customers of a new round of scam phone calls.

Residents and businesses have reported a call from someone claiming to be with a local utility. The caller says the account is past due and that electricity will be shutoff that day unless payment is received immediately, according to the Energy Services Department of Richland and the Benton and Franklin PUDs.

The callers request payment by money order, credit card or cash card and may have a caller ID and other information about an account to make the demand sound credible.

The callers are persistent and demanding, say the utilities.

Customers should not give personal or credit care information over the phone. If they think the call is from their utility, they should hang up and call the utility.

This story was originally published June 19, 2017 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Tri-City electric utilities warn of demanding, persistent scam calls."