CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Public Power is warning residents about a new "Blue Card" scam where CPP customers are threatened with disconnection of electricity.
According to Cleveland Public Power and the City of Cleveland, a customer this week was contacted and told that if they did not purchase a Blue Card to satisfy a debt, their electricity would be turned off.
The customer contacted CPP's customer service center and reported the payment, only to learn that the utility did not have any record of it.
The Department of Public Utility Police Department is looking into the matter while CPP is urging customers to disregard any similar calls.
"This scam is targeting commercial businesses and while Cleveland Public Power will contact these customers about their bills, we would not refer them to a third-party payment option. Any suspicious activity like this should be reported to the Public Utilities Police at (216) 443-2426," said Cleveland Public Power Commissioner Ivan Henderson.
Henderson said that when there is a threat of disconnection, the only way to make payments would be in person to the payment center, by calling in a payment or by making one online.
