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Columbia Gas of Ohio encourages its customers to protect themselves from individuals impersonating company employees or contractors.
In the wake of a customer on Elm Street, Toledo recently paying $200 to an individual posing as a Columbia Gas employee, a second such scam has been reported. This time a Columbia Gas customer on Starr Avenue in Oregon reportedly paid $242 to an individual posing as a Columbia Gas representative.
To avoid becoming a victim, Columbia offers these suggestions:
• All Columbia employees and contractors carry identification cards bearing their name, photo and identification number and will be happy to show them.
• Columbia Gas collectors do not take cash or check payments at the door. Payments can only be made over the phone or at an approved payment center. Columbia Gas does not work collections on the weekends.
• Do not allow entry into your home to people who claim to offer a Columbia refund. Columbia employees never deliver cash refunds or “rebates” to customers homes. All account transactions are handled through the mail or at a Columbia Gas customer office.
Residents who are not sure about an employee’s identification, or to verify work to be done in or around one’s home, call Columbia’s emergency response telephone number at 800-344-4077. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If a person claiming to be a Columbia employee does not have proper identification, call the police and then call Columbia at 800-344-4077. Be prepared to give a detailed description of the individual and their vehicle.
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Scams reported
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