WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

CHARLESTON -- West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey urged consumers on Wednesday to watch out for a scam in which a caller tells consumers they are late on a bill and demands immediate payment.

The scam involves a caller posing as an employee from Frontier Communications. The scam artists are using the calls in an effort to learn personally identifying information from the consumers.

“Our office is aware of phone calls some people are receiving from a person or people posing as Frontier Communications employees,” Morrisey said. “The callers tell the consumer they are late in their payments and ask for private, personal information, such as the consumer’s Social Security number, bank account or credit card number and other information."

Morrisey said that real companies would not ask for such sensitive information using phone calls.

"This is most likely a scam," Morrisey said. "Legitimate businesses do not ask for that type of information over the phone."

Morrisey reminded consumers to take the time necessary to determine the real amount of money owed, if any.

"As with many scams, consumers should be wary of cold calls that use high-pressure sales tactics to get personal information," Morrisey said. "Consumers can always take the time to call service providers and companies directly to verify the amount they owe."