Watch Out For This Scam Threatening To Turn Off Your Electricity

My mother called me to her house for a message she had on her phone that I need to share with you.

In the message on my mother's phone, someone posing as an AEP Swepco employee was threatening to turn off her electricity if you do not pay them immediately. After contacting AEP Swepco about the message they told me that:

Thieves are calling our customers, threatening to shut off power unless an immediate payment is made. Southwestern Electric Power Company never asks for pre-paid debit cards for payment. Please use our authorized payment methods, and call us at 888-216-3523 if you have questions or concerns.

This made me mad. There are so many people scamming the elderly and this is why I am trying to convince my mother to get rid of her home phone. She gets so many junk calls and fake offers and scams that it has become a big issue. Since English is not her first language, she is Japanese, she calls me over to make sure that there is nothing in the message she might have misunderstood.

Make sure you or someone you know is not falling for these 'scams'. Be safe out there folks.