Nova Scotia Power warns of phone scam

Nova Scotia Power is warning its customers of a phone scam in which the caller claims an account is in arrears and demands "payment" with a pre-paid credit card.

The customer is threatened by the fraudster who says their power will be disconnected if payment is not made immediately.

NSP spokeswoman Beverley Ware said in a news release that the calls are not from Nova Scotia Power. She said the utility accepts payment by credit card, but not the pre-paid type.

Ware said NSP would also not call "out of the blue and issue an ultimatum on the first contact."

Any customer who is suspicious of a request for payment over the phone should call NSP's customer care centre at 1-800-428-6230 to find out if it's legitimate, she said.