Electric company warns of Hurricane Matthew scammers

Scammers are already looking to make a quick buck on Hurricane Matthew, Palmetto Electric officials said Thursday.

Tray Hunter, company vice president, said scammers have been calling customers and asking that they make an over the phone payment to avoid their power being shut off.

“We are not turning people off for nonpayment right now,” Hunter said. “We are working on storm prep, not collecting payments at the moment.”

Palmetto Electric also does not make calls to collect payments, Hunter said.

If someone receives a call about non-payment they should hang up and call Palmetto Electric at 843-681-5551.

This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 7:27 PM with the headline "Electric company warns of Hurricane Matthew scammers."