Scammers target Valley power company customer’s home and business

For the past six months, the phone at Boost Mobile in Desert Hot Springs has been ringing with power company imposters on the other end trying to cash in from Rosalio Plata’s business.

“We’ve been receiving phone calls here from what’s supposed to be Southern California Edison,”

The callers threaten to shutoff his electricity if he doesn’t pay the bill and tells him he needs to buy a pre-paid debit card to do it.

“I was like, ‘Maybe I forgot the payment.’ They sounded real,” said Karla Espinoza, office manager at Boost Mobile.

Plata said scammers are now calling his home too, pretending to be from the Imperial Irrigation District and the callback number they gave him is for a random company in Texas, not IID or Edison.

“It’s weird they want to get my money no matter what,” said Plata.

IID warns these scams are a problem for utility customers and companies across the country. The company said its employees never call to threaten or demand payments over the phone. Instead, notices only get sent in the mail and you should never give out your personal information.

“I know the system, so I don’t think I’m going to fall for that. But a lot of people get scared. They get freaked out,” said Plata.

If you’re unsure, call your electric company directly or report it to police.

For information on how to avoid being a victim of similar scams, go to www.iid.com