VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Leaders with Dominion Energy are alerting customers about scammers going door-to-door and posing as employees.
"That's what's unique about these last rounds of scams. Typically, we receive reports of scammers who are calling customers or scammers who are texting customers," said Cherise Newsome, a spokesperson for the electric services company.
Dominion has recently seen an increase in reports of door-to-door scams out of Portsmouth and Chesapeake.
However, because of Hampton Roads' geography, Newsome wants everyone to stay aware.
"These scammers could go easily up the street or across the bridge and be in another city in a matter of minutes," she said.
Some have fallen victim to the imposters' tricks.
"A lot of times, they will be demanding immediate payment and that's how you can tell it's a scam because of the urgency. But other times, they'll talk to you like they're a friendly neighbor from around the way," said Newsome.
The scammers are asking for credit card information or gift cards.
"They are telling customers their service will be disconnected if they don't make a payment. They're asking for personal information such as social security numbers, Medicare and Medicaid information saying that if they turn it over to them that they'd be able to receive credits or discounts on their bills," said Newsome.
"People that want to do the wrong thing to you will go out of their way to do it. You've got to be careful," said Portsmouth resident Zo. He's keeping an eye out in his Portsmouth neighborhood.
"If you know you didn't request that service or call those people and someone comes to your door. Before I give, even give them any of my information or money, I'm going to make sure to call the company," he said.
Calling the company directly is exactly what Newsome suggests.
Another way you can tell it's a scammer at your door is by the look of their gear.
"Our representatives or workers will have identification with the Dominion Energy branding. Often, our workers travel in white trucks with the Dominion Energy logo on the side," said Newsome.
If you feel like you've run into this situation recently, report it to your local police and Dominion Energy online or by calling 1-866-DOM-HELP.
The company's site also now includes a reporting form to the Federal Trade Commission.
"When you report it to Dominion Energy, we can check your account and monitor in our service areas. When you report suspicious scammers and fraud to the FTC, then they're able to monitor those trends across various regions and notice trends across various utility companies," said Newsome.
Furthermore, even though instances of in-person scams are on the rise, Dominion warns scams by phone are still going around regionwide.