Mississippi Power customers receive 'suspicious' phone calls

Mississippi Power customers have reported receiving suspicious calls from individuals stating they are employees of the power company collections service, said Sgt. Louis Moran.

During the calls, customers are told they will encounter a service interruption unless payment is immediately received.

The callers instruct customers to facilitate payment by loading payment to specified account numbers. Verification of a provided account number suggested it was a Master Card number, likely associated with a pre-paid credit or debit card, Sgt. Moran said.

Scams of this type are common and although different company names may be used, they often share common elements claiming overdue bills, disconnect threats if payment isn't received and attempting to elicit personal banking information, Sgt. Moran said.

In a September statement, Mississippi Power stressed company representatives will never call customers and ask for personal or banking information.

Customers who believe they may have been a victim of this scam should contact their local law enforcement agency, the Mississippi Attorney General's Office at 601-359-3680 and Mississippi Power at 800-532-1502.

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Mississippi Power customers receive 'suspicious' phone calls ."