ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County police are warning residents about a phone scam in which callers pretend to be Pepco employees and ask for money.

In one incident on Oct. 30, a scammer — who claimed to work for the utility company — told a resident he was behind on his utility bill, officials said. The scammer told the resident he could pay the bill over the phone by getting a prepaid debit card and relaying the debit card's information over the phone.

If you think you've been a victim of this scam and have made a payment, you can call the police's non-emergency number at 301-279-8000.

Pepco has provided information regarding Pepco-related scams. Click here to learn more.

The scam has been targeting utility customers across the United States for more than five years, the utility said. The scammers, who target both residential and business customers, tell victims to purchase a pre-paid debit card, such as a Green Dot MoneyPak, for a specific amount from local pharmacies, retail chains or convenience stores. Once the utility customer gives the caller the card information, money on the card is removed.

Scammers will sometimes replicate utility phone numbers through caller ID, with some even copying the messaging and prompts given to customers through their interactive voice response system.

Pepco has these tips:

If a customer receives a call from someone stating they are calling to collect a bill payment for Pepco, the caller should be able to provide specific information including:

Account name



Account address



Account number



Amount of current balance

If the caller cannot provide this information, it is likely the call is not coming from Pepco. In this case, don't share any information, and call Pepco immediately at 1-202-833-7500 to report the scam.

Customers should never give their social security number or banking or credit card information by phone unless they have initiated the call.

Customers should never provide anyone access to their home who claims to be from Pepco, or a contractor working for Pepco, unless the person has proper identification. Customers can always contact the company at 1-202-833-7500 to confirm an official visit.

Image via Shutterstock

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