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Utility bill telephone scam making rounds

Upper Peninsula Power Co. officials recently warned of a telephone scam making the rounds among UPPCO customers.

According to Brett French, UPPCO vice president of business development and communications, some UPPCO customers have received calls claiming to be company representatives demanding money to avoid disconnections.

French said UPPCO started getting calls from customers in the Alger County area earlier in the month. Later, UPPCO customers from the Houghton area also were contacted. Typically, the calls come from outside of the 906 area, French said.

“We are trying to make customers aware of the fact that the scam is in play, and that we don’t want them to … fall prey to the scam,” French said in a press release distributed to regional media.

He suggested anyone who has provided money to these scam artists should contact law enforcement immediately.

And as always, never give out personal or financial information on the telephone. Almost certainly, it’s a scammer after one thing — your money.

An added note: Senior citizens in Michigan automatically are protected from shutoffs in the winter, even if behind on utility payments.

Scams done with one utility likely will surface among other providers, especially as the winter heating season drags on and some customers potentially fall behind. So best to be wary, even if the problems for now are being reported in another provider.

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