Local power company gives tips on identifying impostor pretending to be company worker

Weeks ago, the East Mississippi Electric Power Association received calls about an impersonator pretending to be with the company.

“We have gotten several reports from our members; primarily in the North Lauderdale County area of a gentlemen coming to their homes pretending to be an employee of the EMEPA.”

Julie Boles says this situation could harm the company’s reputation and something must be done about it.

“It’s very frustration for someone to be out there impersonating our employees, but as long as we are out there letting our members know about this so that they can be on the lookout. We all have to work together to try to make sure that these types of things are stopped.”

Boles says scams of this nature tend to be seasonal.

“We believe that this person is trying to gain access to members’ homes possibly to scope it out for possible burglaries later. This time of year, we see an increase in this, it’s not uncommon for scams to increase during this time frame.”

Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun says there are several ways to identify the credibility of someone that may come knocking on your door.

"They’re going to have ID typically; they’re going to have on a uniform of some type; usually with a shirt; it’s going to have a logo on it. They’re certainly going to have identification in terms of a badge. They are also going to be in a vehicle that’s going to have the companies name on it, that’s just something you see especially with utilities.”