ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Phone scammers have been targeting residents in St. Johns County. Authorities issued a warning, saying a scammer pretended to be with Florida Power and Light and another pretended to be the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said two victims reported getting calls Tuesday, claiming to be from Florida Power and Light and telling the people that their power would be cut if they didn't go pick up some prepaid cash cards and pay hundreds of dollars to make the bill current.
This comes after News4Jax learned about a St. Johns County man who received a call from a man who pretended to be from the Sheriff's Office and was pretending to follow the victim.
News4Jax talked to Bill Orlove, with Florida Power and Light, who's very familiar with these scams and want customers to know they would never call on the phone demanding money.
"FPL would never demand credit card information over the phone or take any kind of Green Dot, MoneyPak or any type of money card payment. And we would never ask any kind of personal information from a customer unless they initiate the call," said Orlove
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about another scam, after a St. Johns County man received a call from a man who pretended to be from the sheriff's office and was pretending to follow the victim. That scammer apparently spoofed his or her phone number and made it look like the sheriff's office was actually calling the victim. And scammers have the technology to do that, so if you ever question the validity of an officer News4Jax Crime and Safety Analyst Gil Smith said you're well within your rights to call police.
"The best thing to do would be to call the local police department and let them know what's going on, if someone is following behind you like that. Have someone come and they can pull the guy over and investigate," Smith said.
Police said there are a few numbers the scammers are using to dial from regarding the FPL scam. If you have any problems with these types of scams or may know anything about who's responsible call the St. Augustine Police Department at 904-825-1070.