Earlier this week, a Santa Clarita business owner reported that he was the target of a phone scam. The victim’s report describes receiving a call from someone claiming to be from Southern California Edison who told the victim that, if he did not immediately pay the past due amount on his account, power would be shut off to his business that very day. The victim was concerned, and claimed that the scammer sounded “very official.” However, the victim began to doubt the authenticity of the call once the scammer asked for the payment to come in the form of a prepaid credit card purchased from the 7-11.
During the call, the victim had his wife check their business’ account with Southern California Edison and it appeared that they didn’t actually owe any money. The victims informed the caller that their account was not actually in arrears, to which the scammer replied that there was some sort of internal error and that, if the payment was not made immediately, their power would be shut off. The victims chose not to pay, and nobody showed up to cut their power.
This isn’t the first time someone has tried to scam Santa Clarita residents over the phone. Previous attempts have included callers impersonating Santa Clarita Sheriff Station deputies and attempting to collect payments to remove non-existing warrants. When this particular scam makes its rounds, actual deputies have repeatedly released statements informing residents that they do not, have not, and will not ever call someone and request payment over the phone for any outstanding warrant. When a warrant is issued for someone’s arrest, sheriff’s deputies and police officers are required by law to execute that warrant. Executing a warrant involves locating the individual named therein and arresting them – it does not include attempting to collect a fine, fee or penalty.
If you ever receive a phone call from someone claiming to be law enforcement who is looking to get money from you, assume it’s a scam and immediately call your local law enforcement agency. You can report the scam and, if you feel you must, inquire as to whether or not there actually is a warrant out for your arrest. Odds are, if you’re doubting the existence of a warrant, it’s because there isn’t one.
Last but not least, if anyone ever calls you asking (or demanding) payment via prepaid credit card, it’s probably a scam. If you legitimately owe a debt to some agency or institution, they’ll be happy to receive payment via your actual credit/debit card.
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