MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis business spoke out, warning others about a mysterious call it got this week.
Maggie’s Pharm Manager Sue Jordan told WREG that one of the shop’s employees got a call Wednesday from a man claiming to be from MLGW.
He reportedly told her he would turn the power off in 30 minutes if she did not pay $300 for some kind of GPS system.
Jordan dialed the caller’s number.
“He said, ‘yes, a GPS system that’s being installed, and you should’ve had a notice about it 10 days ago,'” Jordan recalled.
Jordan told the man that the business’ MLGW payments were up to date, and she wanted to call MLGW directly.
That’s when she said he ended the conversation.
WREG asked MLGW about this matter, and a spokesperson sent the following statement:
“We’ve been spreading the word about various scams. MLGW would never contact businesses in such a manner. We ask customers who have received such calls to contact local authorities and file a police report. Business owners can also contact our Commercial Resource Center (528-4270) if they have questions about their services.”
The Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South told WREG it has not received other complaints about this scam locally, but found other references to similar complaints online, like on the Colorado Springs Utilities’ website.
That organization’s website said, “An individual calls and demands that customers make a payment immediately, otherwise their service will be disconnected. The scammers demand that customers put the payment on a credit or prepaid card. Customers may also be told to pay a deposit to upgrade their meter to a ‘smart’, ‘GPS’ or ‘digital’ meter.”
WREG tried to call the number but did not reach anyone.