BOONE, N.C. — Police in Boone, North Carolina are issuing a warning about a phone scam attempting to steal money by posing as town officials.
According to Boone Police, multiple reports have come in about people soliciting donations from the public to support the Boone Fire Department. Boone town departments, including the fire department and police, don't seek or solicit donations to provide service to the community.
It's unclear if the alleged scammers have been successful with their attempts, but detectives say anyone who receives a call, letter or email requesting donations to not respond. Individuals should never provide sensitive personal information, such as credit card and bank account numbers to anonymous people seeking donations.
Last month, Duke Energy reported a massive scam targeting their customers. Duke said they received 25,000 scam attempts just in 2020, the highest number on record.
Duke officials said the scammers were threatening to disconnect service if bills weren't paid in full immediately.
In North Carolina alone, 11,000 scams have impacted unknowing customers. Duke Energy says these scams have cost people $150,000. In Charlotte, there were 2,600 scam attempts this year with 79 of those customers paying out nearly $43,000.
