SURF CITY – With sophisticated technology advances, phone scams are becoming more ubiquitous and less fake sounding.
Surf City Police were called to a local business who received a phone call from a “finance manager with Atlantic City Electric.” The business had been flagged for nonpayment and would have their electricity shut off if payment were not received immediately. The employees checked company records, which showed the electric was indeed paid up-to-date.
“The number used to call the business came up as an Atlantic City Electric 800#. The employees did their due diligence and discovered that their account was up-to-date, so there was no loss. However, the employees told our officers that this scam felt ‘very real,’ and they asked that we share this information with others so they do not become victims,” Surf City Police said.
Atlantic City Electric will never call customers asking for cash payments or prepaid cards to pay bills.
Police are also telling residents to not open doors for anyone they don’t recognize. They should ask to see an ID through a window. All Atlantic City Electric employees carry a company identification with their name, photograph and ID number.
To verify account information including payments, or to verify an Atlantic City Electric employee ID or utility work being performed, call the company’s customer service line at 800-833-7476.
