Multiple Ocean City Businesses Targeted by Scam

OCEAN CITY, MD – The Ocean City Police Department has recently seen an increase in reports of a phone scam involving callers posing as representatives of electric companies. The scammers are reportedly targeting Ocean City area businesses by telephone claiming to be representatives of “Delmarva Electric” and “Baltimore Gas & Electric.” The scammers urge victims to pay balances of more than $1,000 using a Reloadit pre-paid card before the end of the day, threatening to shut off service if the victim does not comply.

Business owners and citizens are advised that scammers claiming to represent “Delmarva Electric” are using the exact ring-back tone and phone menu used by the legitimate power company – Delmarva Power. Two numbers being used by the scammers are 844-834-2554 and 800-685-0123, however, it is likely that additional numbers may be used.

Business owners and citizens are reminded that legitimate power and electric companies will never endorse or require a specific form of payment such as a pre-paid debit card. If someone claims to represent your power company, it is important that citizens take precautions to verify the person is affiliated with the company by hanging up and contacting the company directly, especially if that person is requesting an immediate payment.

For additional information on how to avoid becoming a victim, visit http://www.delmarva.com/uploadedFiles/wwwdelmarvacom/Content/Page_Content/My_Home/DelmarvaScammer%20March13.pdf.