Marysville Police are warning residents of a scam involving someone claiming to be a Dayton Power & Light representative.
According to a social media post on the Marysville Division of Police page, a local business received a call from a number listed as 844-470-3223 by someone claiming to be a “Brian Martinez,” with DP&L. He wanted the business to pay the company in cash. He said he would soon be coming to turn off their electric.
In an interview with the Journal-Tribune, Deputy Chief Tony Brooks said police have heard of recent power company scams from residents. This has been the only reported case.
“We’ve heard some rumors and different messages,” he said.
Brooks also said scammers are able to “spoof” phone numbers, meaning the numbers calls come from may not be indicative of where they’re actually coming from.
The business apparently sensed the call was a scam and called DP&L and verified that it was indeed fake.
The social media post noted that most companies will not insist on cash payment. Brooks said residents who receive similar calls should contact whoever provides their utilities. If the call is confirmed fake, they should contact local law enforcement.
He said the more residents call in, the easier it will be to inform the public of scams.
“If we can get an idea of what kind of trends are going around, we can get that information out,” he said.