Customers should be wary if someone shows up at their homes or businesses asking to check their electric meter.
By Hank Silverberg
CORRESPONDENT
There’s been an uptick in reports of a recent scam, and there’s a new twist. The Rappahannock Electric Cooperative says a scammer has been showing up at people’s homes or businesses asking to read electric meters. But the person is not an REC employee.
This comes just weeks after a similar scam in which someone claiming to be from REC wanted to check meters, allegedly to offer a deal on free solar power installation.
According to the cooperative, this time the approach to both homes and businesses occurs after regular business hours.
REC spokeswoman Casey Hollins says it’s not clear what the scammer is really after, and residents and business owners should be wary of such approaches. Most electric meters are located outside homes and buildings.
The electric meter only shows usage rates on that particular property, but it’s possible the scammer might use the meter number and usage levels to gain other information about the customer’s account or is trying to get access to something else on the property. The scammer did not ask for money.
Hollins says anyone coming with legitimate business would be driving a vehicle clearly marked with the REC logo and name, like the one in the photo, and would be able to show identification in the form of a badge and/or a hard hat.
If you have any concerns or suspect a crime or suspicious activity, Hollins says you should call your local police first, and then alert REC directly at 800-552-3904 to check whether there is work scheduled to be done.
The latest incidents have been in the southeastern part of REC’s service area. REC provides electricity to 180,000 customers in 22 Virginia counties from the Blue Ridge to the Chesapeake Bay, including parts of Spotsylvania, Caroline, and Stafford counties.
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