Saratoga Salon Warns of Fake National Grid Call Spreading

You think it's easy to pick out a scam. All you have to do is not click on weird links and don't answer numbers you don't recognize. You can do that, but this new scam is doing something completely new and there's a good chance you'll fall for this one.

I never answer calls from numbers I don't recognize, I always assume it's a telemarketer or a scam, even if there's a 518 area code. I thought I beat the system, until this new scam was announced from Saratoga and I don't know who to believe anymore!

I first saw this story on CBS6 from a Saratoga Springs salon called Fusion Salon. What made this call different from others is that the caller ID is completely misleading- it said "National Grid." I don't know about you but I don't have National Grid's phone number memorized so if my caller ID said "National Grid," I'd be prone to believe it. Now, you have to be cautious.

The salon reported that after they answered the phone, it sounded like a recording warning them that the power was going to be turned off in 45 minutes. The menu sounded like every other National Grid call they've had and then they asked for the account number. The employee gave the salon's phone number and that's when they pulled up the address and owner's name. Then the owner was transferred to a woman who warned her that her past two checks didn't go through and she needed to give her American Express number over the phone to keep her power on or else it'll take time for a National Grid rep to manually do it later. Luckily, she told them she'd pay by hand at the headquarters in Albany and hung up. That's when she called a National Grid number off of a recent bill and realized it was just a scam.

According to National Grid, they will never call to tell you they're turning off your power, they will send noticed. They also will never ask for your account number, always call the number listed on your bill to confirm.