A Utica woman is warning about a call she received that turned out to be a scam. She didn't fall for it and hopes others don't either.

Raise your hand if you're tired of getting spam calls. Me too. Especially the ones about extending your car warranty, and usually for a car you don't even own anymore. We've all had them. But there's another one making the rounds in Central New York and a Utica woman is sending out a warning after she got one.

Heather Sandler received a call from someone claiming to be from National Grid. "He said my service was going to be cut off in the next 10 to 30 minutes if I didn't make a payment."

Instead of panicking, Heather did the smart thing and called to verify with National Grid. "I told the guy on the phone I was worried he was a scam so he told me to call National Grid and hung up on me."

When Heather called, National Grid confirmed it was all a scam, something that's been happening a lot lately.

"Recently, we have seen an increased volume of reported scam attempts concerning both residential and business customers," the company said in a statement. "When contacted by a person claiming to represent National Grid, we encourage customers to always verify their identity to protect themselves against scams."

Tips to Spot a Scam

National Grid has provided tips to spot a scam caller.

  • You are threatened with immediate service termination (this is NOT our procedure).
  • The caller seeks payment when your account is current.
  • The caller demands immediate payment by wire transfer or prepaid card (we don’t accept payment through these cards).
  • The caller is someone you cannot identify.
  • The caller can’t provide the last five digits of your National Grid account number when asked. A National Grid representative will know it.

If you’re worried about your account, your power getting turned off, or just have questions, you can call one of the National Grid customer service numbers.

Long Island: 1-800-930-5003
Massachusetts Electric: 1-800-322-3223
Massachusetts Gas: 1-800-233-5325
New York, Metro 1-718-643-4050
New York, Upstate: 1-800-642-4272

If you think you’ve been a victim of a scam, call the local police department immediately.

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