Associated Press Published

Appalachian Power Customers Warned of Scam

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Appalachian Power says small business owners are the target of a scam seeking to extort cash.

The power company says reports of the scam are coming from its West Virginia customers, but it says its customers in Virginia and Tennessee are also likely to be targeted.

The scam works this way:

  • Customers are receiving calls from someone purporting to represent the company and claiming that check or credit card payments are no longer being accepted. Appalachian Power says that is not the case.
  • The caller tells customers that their payments have been returned, they owe $1,000 and that it must be paid immediately with a prepaid credit card.

A spokesman for Appalachian Power says the company never demands payment in that matter.