The Charles County Sheriff's Office is reporting another identity theft scheme of which citizens should be aware.
A Charles County citizen recently received a call from someone claiming to be a bill collector for Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) and threatening to shut off services if a fee was not paid. The citizen was suspicious of the call and when he did not comply with the request, the call was ended. It is likely the caller would have requested a credit card number or other form of identification if given the opportunity. Financial Crimes Unit detectives are investigating this incident.
Citizens who receive suspicious calls such as this one should obtain information from the caller and offer to contact the caller once they have verified with the company the collection agency claims to be calling for. Citizens should contact the company to report the call and citizens who determine the call was a scam should contact the Financial Crimes Unit at 301-609-6493 or their local district station at 301-932-2222 in La Plata, 301-743-2222 in Indian Head and 301-932-7777 in Waldorf.
The Sheriff's Office reminds citizens they should not provide their bank account numbers or other personal information to anyone unless they are certain they are speaking with a legitimate company or organization, especially when the other party has initiated the call.
Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information about a crime in Charles County that leads to an arrest or indictment. Anyone with information about a crime may contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. All callers may remain anonymous.