Authorities warn of electric bill phone scam

Berwick police received three complaints of a phone scam Tuesday evening in which the caller claimed the victims hadn’t paid electric bills and needed to pay the bill immediately, according to a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office news release.
The complaints came from businesses. The businesses reported to officers that they received calls from a person claiming to be from Cleco Corp. The person claimed that the businesses electric bills had not been paid and that the victims needed to purchase money cards to pay the bill immediately.
Berwick police say the phony calls came from the phone number 1-866-755-0009. The businesses received the calls around 5 p.m., a time of day when many companies are busy tending to closing business.
Earlier this year, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office investigated a similar complaint, the release said.