The electric bill scam is back with a vengeance, and Green Dot cards are again the money funnel of choice for the thieves.

flickr, snowmentality
flickr, snowmentality
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Toms River police say they've fielded complaints from three business owners and a homeowner in the past week alone of phoned threats to cut off their electric current if overdue bills weren't paid within hours. One of the four fell for it, police said.

The scam has reached nationwide proportions. Callers present themselves as representatives of the power company (in our case, Jersey Central Power and Light) and convince unwitting victims that they're deep in arrears on their bills, police said.

Victims are told to buy Green Dot cards to cover the payments and either call the scammers with the information needed to cash the cards, or enter the data on a web page.

Many local stores carry Green Dot cards, police said. Money is electronically loaded into them and taken out as debits.

Toms River police say they are comparing notes with JCP&L to snare the scammers and have contacted Green Dot's headquarters as well.

Police urge you to never issue payments by phone unless you've initiated the call and are sure of the recipient on the other end, and using a phone number on your monthly statement.

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