Several Sardis residents received bogus phone calls Tuesday telling them they qualify for Obama stimulus money to pay electric bills.

T.V.E.P.A Communications Manager Marlin Williams reported the scammers were working the area after customer service representatives at his office fielded several calls from Sardis.
   
Williams said the scammers are providing a bank routing number and information that the utility customer is to use to pay their bill.
   
In exchange, the caller is asked to divulge personal information that the scammers will use for identify theft or other unscrupulous purposes.

That account number is fake, and the bank account is fraudulent, so not only does your bill go unpaid, but you could run into late fees on your account.

The scam has been widespread and Attorney General Jim Hood warned Mississippians of the scheme in a press release last week.

“The victim is commonly contacted by phone. Scammers tell the victim that they qualify for stimulus money and then may ask the victim to supply personal identifying information, such as a Social Security number or bank account number,” Hood warned.

If you think you have a friend or relative who may have fallen victim to this scam please call the Mississippi Attorney General’s Consumer Protec-tion Division at 1-800-281-4418.