Three days after paying his electric bill, Clinton Township resident Dylan Cole received a call from an entity claiming to be West Penn Power saying he had an unpaid balance.

Knowing that he had already paid his bill, Cole was quick to hang up. He dialed up the power company to confirm that there was not a remaining balance on his account.

The power company confirmed his suspicions: It was a scam. He was informed that they were aware of ongoing phone scams to their customers.

Information posted on West Penn Power’s parent corporation, FirstEnergy’s website, warns residents of the scam calls and explains what residents can anticipate if their accounts do have an unpaid balance.

If a customer’s account is past due, they will receive a written notice of their account status, with instructions on how to avoid disconnection of service.

While an official representative may call a customer to remind them that a payment is due, they would explain how a payment can be made using their established payment options. They will not demand payment over the phone, in person, or at a particular physical location.

The company does not accept prepaid debit cards or wire transfers as payment, and representatives will not demand your bank information or credit card number over the phone.

FirstEnergy also recommends certain protocols for those that suspect they’re being scammed over the phone. If you receive a suspicious call, hang up immediately.

Be aware that scammers often use caller ID spoofing software to misrepresent the source of a phone call, or provide you with a fake “verification” phone number. These callback numbers may even include exact replicas of company greetings.

If a person appears at your door demanding payment, do not allow them into your home.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe had no information specifically regarding scams having to do with West Penn Power, but reinforced the frequency of incidents such as these.

“Scams happen every day,” Slupe said. “My biggest advice is: if you think it’s a scam, it probably is.”

He urges those that believe they’re being scammed to do as FirstEnergy recommends and hang up the phone to verify with the company, not the number that called. Look up any company numbers.

Slupe also warned citizens to never “verify” personal information like bank account numbers or Social Security numbers over the phone, as official entities traditionally don’t require that information through calls.