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Beware of scams
PICAYUNE, Feb 01, 2012 (Picayune Item - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Coast Electric customers are urged to beware of scammers.
A recent report to the Coast Electric Call Center alerted the company to a scam where a person knocked on a power association member's door asking for money to help the less fortunate.
The person at the door attempted to trick the customer into "donating" money to help customers who have difficulty paying their electric bill, according to a release from the power company.
Communications Specialist April Lollar said so far the company has received only one such complaint and that it occurred in Bay St. Louis. The person who called in the scam found the incident suspicious since the suspect was not wearing Coast Electric attire and not driving a company vehicle so they declined to donate, Lollar said.
Coast Electric does have a program where customers can donate money to help those who have difficulty paying their bills. The program is called Share Your Blessings, but representatives do not go door to door to collect those funds.
"We just don't do it that way, there's actually a place on your bill," Lollar said.
Members who would like to donate to the Share Your Blessings program can add the amount to their bill. Lollar said those funds are then given to Red Cross, which manages and distributes that money to people who apply and qualify for the aid.
"So many Coast Electric members give so generously to their friends and neighbors in need," said Coast Electric president and CEO Bob Occhi in the release. "We urge them all to make sure -- before they pull out their checkbooks -- that they are donating to a reputable source and not someone who is trying to take advantage of their giving nature."
Coast Electric members who encounter this scam are encouraged to call local law enforcement agencies. Questions or concerns also can be addressed to Coast Electric by calling 877-769-2372.
___ (c)2012 the Picayune Item (Picayune, Miss.) Visit the Picayune Item
(Picayune, Miss.) at picayuneitem.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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