BOISE, Idaho – Idaho Power Co. says scammers have been relentless in their efforts to target customers, both homeowners and businesses.

The company says a number of customers have reported scam calls. The scammers, who portray themselves as Idaho Power employees, call customers to tell them if they do not make an immediate payment their power will be shut off.

The company said in a newsletter,

This common scam involves a caller telling a customer that his or her payment is late or a payment has been missed. Some even use technology to make the calls appear to come from Idaho Power. The best way to combat this scam is for customers to be aware of their Idaho Power account status, including monitoring usage and payments using My Account, our online account manager.

Idaho Power says it is easy to detect these calls as scam calls because the company does does not do any of the following:

  • Demand immediate payment
  • Ask for same-day payment via pre-paid cards (such as the Green Dot MoneyPak)
  • Require payment for a defective meter
  • Ask potential job seekers for personal information over the phone.

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