Scam Alert: Beware of calls about overdue electric bills

The City of Staunton is asking residents to be on the lookout for scam phone calls dealing with overdue electric bills.

Several residents in Staunton and other cities across Virginia have received phone calls where subjects have identified themselves as a collections department for Dominion Virginia Power. The residents are being advised that if they do not pay the past due amount immediately their power will be cut off. The past due amounts have varied.

If you receive a similar call please do not give your information out unless you have verified that you are actually talking to an employee of Dominion Virginia Power. There are several ways to verify whether or not you are talking to an employee with the company:

• You can check with your bank to verify whether or not the payment you mailed or paid online has cleared.
• You can check your Dominion Virginia account online to determine if your account is past due.
• You can call Dominion Virginia Power and verify if your account is actually past due.