The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has received ten complaints from Bay County citizens this afternoon regarding a scam that originally hit our area in January of this year and has again today.
The scam starts with a phone call from someone purporting to be from Gulf Power Company. According to those contacted today, this man has a foreign accent and the phone number comes up as 850-615-5782. However, it appears the suspect is using a Magic Jack account and investigators believe the calls actually originate in a foreign country.
Once the person identifies themselves as from Gulf Power, the intended victim is told their bill is overdue and they should pay it or their power will be turned off. The caller instructs the person to go to CVS, Wal-Mart or Walgreens, purchase a Green Dot pre-paid card and call them back with the code on the back of the card.
The public is warned that this is a scam. Gulf Power does not ever call customers to request money or personal information. Anyone receiving a call, or having any trouble with a person who claims to represent Gulf Power, is asked to contact Gulf Power at 1-800-225-5797. Gulf Power is working with local law enforcement on this scam. If you have been victimized you are urged to contact local law enforcement and Gulf Power.