Scammers target Thomasville utility customers

Lenah Allen, Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Ga.
·2 min read

Oct. 22—THOMASVILLE — A report of a new scam call targeting Thomasville utility customers has surfaced and Thomasville Police Department is warning residents.

Recently, officials received a report of a resident who received a phone call from someone posing as a Thomasville Utilities worker.

The imposter demanded the resident purchase a pre-paid credit card and to give the credit card information over the phone to pay off an outstanding utility account.

Luckily, the resident realized the call was a scam before falling victim to the scheme, like many others have with countless other scam phone calls.

Melissa Donaldson, director of customer service for Thomasville Utilities, confirmed the city will never call customers to collect payments.

"Any call asking for immediate payment should raise a red flag with our customers," she said. "In addition, we do not utilize a 800 number for outgoing calls and will not leave an 800 number for a return call."

While there is currently only one report connected to the Thomasville Utility scam, TPD spokesperson Cpl. Crystal Parker said residents should lookout for all scam phone calls.

"There's so many different types of scams out there," she said. "We frequently get calls and reports from people who have unfortunately fallen prey to this."

Some warning signs of a scam phone call include demands for money, personal information or instructed immediate actions over the phone.

Donaldson advises residents to contact the City of Thomasville at 229-227-7001 before making any payments over the phone.

Parker added that residents should also avoid giving out personal information or financial information over the phone.

"Absolutely understand that no government agency is going to ask you to pay for something with a gift card," she said.

Anyone who receives any other suspicious phone calls is encouraged to contact TPD for verification.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Parker said. "Gather any information you can and come see us about it. We'll let you know if it was legitimate or not."