Herndon Businesses Targets of Fraud Scheme

Town of Herndon Police cautioned local business owners and employees this week about a scheme in which fraudsters are posing as Dominion Power representatives and tricking some out of cash.

"Several businesses and residential customers in the Town of Herndon and surrounding jurisdictions have been the targets of recent fraud attempts," public information officer Lt. Jim Moore said in a community alert.

As part of the scheme, a caller will contact the business or resident by telephone and tell them that there is a problem with their Dominion Power account.

The caller, posing as a Dominion Power employee, will say that the customer is past due on a payment and immediate payment must be received or their power will be cut off.

The caller will ask the customer to obtain a money card, such as a Green Dot, and have the customer then call back with the code number from the card.

"The caller will then access the money from the debit card and the customer will have lost those funds," Moore said.

Moore stressed that Dominion Power representatives will never ask customers for a money or debit card. 

"If you receive a call from someone claiming they are from Dominion Power demanding immediate payment with a threat of the power being cut off, you should be suspicious," he said. "You should stop the conversation and call Dominion Power directly using the contact information on your Dominion Power bill."

In May, a bakery in Fairfax City was defrauded out of cash using this very scheme.

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