Action 9: Duke imposters scam SouthPark lingerie store, other businesses

Con artists pose as Duke Energy officials, said you owe money, pay, or lose your power in minutes. 
 
Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke warned you about this scam before, but is seeing a surge now, especially with scammers targeting small businesses.  Usually, he hears about one case of this every few weeks.  But, he just came across six cases in a 48-hour period, including a dental office, a motel, and the well-known, upscale lingerie store in SouthPark, I.C. London.
 
SouthPark lingerie store targeted
 
I.C. London’s owner, Shelly Domenech, said the caller wasn’t rude.  “No. No.  They’re very professional. ‘Yes, Ms. Domenech, we’re going to work with you, we’re going to figure this out,’” she said.  She said she thought it was unlikely she owed money, but couldn’t take the chance.  So she did what the caller asked: got a prepaid debit card and paid $1,500. Now, she feels there were a lot of red flags she overlooked, like that the caller wouldn’t take credit card, only pre-paid debit cards.
 
Duke Energy said Duke imposters typically “ask the customer for the prepaid debit card’s receipt number and PIN number, which grants instant access to the card’s funds. Some of these criminals also use caller ID spoofing to replicate Duke Energy’s customer service number. They can also become aggressive when questioned about the legitimacy of their calls, and some specifically target Spanish-speaking customers, restaurants and other small businesses.”
 
Scammer hangs up on Action 9
 
Domenech gave Stoogenke the number the scammer used.  He called it. It had a Duke recording that sounded official, an automated message directing callers to press “1″ for power outages, “2″ for billing questions, etc.  When Stoogenke got a real person, he asked point blank: “How can you verify for me that you really are Duke Energy?”  The person on the other end hung up.
 
Duke said it can’t explain the spike this week or why con artists seem to be targeting small businesses more than homes.  CMPD Officer Chris Kopp said, “In the eyes of a criminal, they can probably, they believe, get more money out of a business than they could an individual.  And a business doesn’t want to have to shut down their business.”
 
That’s exactly what Domenech was thinking when the scammer called her.  She felt she couldn’t lose a day of business.  “They just caught me at a time when i was unsuspecting.  You’re scared that your business is not going to be able to open and function without the power on,” she said.  She assumed if she was overpaying, Duke would sort it out and give her  a credit.  She never thought the caller wasn’t even with Duke.
 
Protect yourself
 
Duke will not call you, threaten you, demand money over the phone, or ask you to pay with a prepaid debit card.  Duke said it “never asks or requires customers who have delinquent accounts to purchase a prepaid debit card to avoid electric service disconnection. Customers can make payments online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person.  Duke Energy customers who have delinquent accounts also receive notifications from the company prior to electric service disconnection – never just a single notification one hour before disconnection.”
 
If you’re ever unsure, hang up and call Duke yourself.  Don’t use the number the caller gives you.  Call Duke at 800-777-9898 or the number on your Duke bill.  To report scammers, call the N.C Attorney General at 877-5-NO-SCAM, local law enforcement, and Duke at 800-777-9898.

Share and Enjoy