CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Duke Energy says scammers are getting smarter this holiday season, and more people are falling victim to it.
The latest case comes out of Lancaster, S.C., where an auto repair shop was scammed out of $2,000.
The scam works like this: someone calls you saying they work for Duke, and you need to pay an outstanding balance or your power will be cut off.
But here’s the kicker: the criminals are actually using fake numbers that come up on your phone as Duke Energy.
"There are ways folks can spoof a phone number making it look like its coming from an 803 area code or Duke Energy," said Trent Faris of York County Sheriff's Office.
Faris says it's not just Duke Energy. It even happened to them.
"We’ve had it with the Sheriff’s Office," he said. "We’ve had people use their caller ID and it shows York County Sheriff’s Office on it."
Duke officials say they’ll never call and threaten to turn your power off in the same day. And if you’re unsure, hang up and call the power company yourself.