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Chesapeake woman takes action to protect herself against Dominion Energy scam callers

Posted at 11:31 PM, Sep 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-09 23:31:53-04

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - The scammers are back, and this time they are targeting Dominion Energy customers, threatening them to pay up or lights out.

Like many people, Chesapeake resident Diane Blowe doesn’t answer the house phone because of telemarketers.

But, she did two weeks ago when she recognized a familiar number.

Diane Blowe

"It said 'Dominion Power' with the Dominion Power phone number, so I answered it," Blowe told us.

There was a man on the other end of the line claiming to be with the power company.

“That said that they had a cut off notice for the address, and I said, ‘What’s the address?’ and he told me and it was correct, so that was kind of scary.”

So, she continued to listen.

"He said if I didn’t pay the bill, they were going to cut it off and I said, ‘Now my bill is paid,’” Blowe said.

And that’s when she called Dominion Energy’s customer service line - but before that, she called the number back.

“I called back on the number and it rang to Dominion Power; that was scary. That was scary!”

Dominion says this is a scam -  a very sophisticated one. A spokesperson with the company tells us scammers are using a new technology to imitate their automated system and caller ID.

Blowe says she knew something wasn’t right.

“The first thing was he kept insisting that I had to pay to that day," she recounted.

Dominion says their staff would never use aggressive threats or ask you to make a payment immediately with a gift card.

“I see that so many senior citizens get scammed all the time. I see it happening with my church members," said Blowe.

Leaders with Dominion say these scammers prey on the elderly and businesses during their busiest times and holiday shoppers. They are working with local law enforcement to stop these scams.

Related: Virginia Beach senior scammed out of $3,000 now warning others

Blowe shared a piece of advice for her fellow customers.

“If it seems and feels funny and you get that feeling it’s telling you something, go with what you’re feeling."