Be Alert! Business Owners Targeted in Dominion Energy Scam
The Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) at the Norfolk Sheriff's Office received a call from a business owner reporting that his business had been contacted from a spoofed number.
The caller stated to the business owner that his name was Oscar Hernandez and that he was with Dominion Power. In the background was sound similar to that of a busy office which lent an air of authenticity to the call. The caller stated that the business owner had 20 minutes to pay his utility bill or the power to his business would be cut off.
The caller stated that several power bills sent to the business had gone unpaid. This made it obvious to the business owner that the caller was attempting to scam the business since the owner was very diligent in making his payments.
The business owner was told to call 1-800-860-0458 and choose option 2 for payment information. After disconnecting from the call, the owner reported the incident to us.
Tip: ALWAYS be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
The CPU has passed this information on to Dominion Energy, but we also wanted to put out an urgent alert to other business owners in Norfolk that such a spoofing attempt was taking place.
If you've received a call like this, please please contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.