‘Pacific Power’ scammers target Bend landlord, demand $2,700 ‘past due’ payment — or fast ‘power shut off’

(Update: Adding video, comments from Pacific Power, man who was almost scammed & Bend Police)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Central Oregon insurance agent was the target of scammers seeking more than $2,700, but it wasn't just a phone or email scam. This one began with an in-person visit.

Instead, someone claiming to be with Pacific Power's billing department walked into a commercial tenant's office, demanding immediate payment of a "past due bill" -- or the power would be turned off in 15 minutes.

Jerry Burger, a landlord and agency owner for Farmers Insurance, explained what happened: "A staff member called me frantically, stating they they were going to turn off the power in 15 minutes -- they had a crew outside ready to go."

Burger is an insurance agent with offices in Bend, Redmond and Prineville.

Earlier this week, an employee at the Bend office was approached by someone pretending to be a representative of Pacific Power, saying power would be shut off if they didn't pay nearly $3,000.

The employee called Burger after the scammer immediately left the office, and Burger connected with the scammer on the phone.

Burger said he asked, "'How much is owed?' She took a minute, came back and told me $2,733, which was very much. I think the most we've ever paid for that location is like $100."

Burger happened to be paying bills at the time, so he could see what he owed -- and hung up, as he realized it was a scam.

"So this does happen regularly," Pacific Power spokesperson Simon Gutierrez told us on Thursday. "And we remind customers, particularly around this time of year, towards the holidays that they should be vigilant about potential fraudulent communication with scammers who are posing as utility representatives."

Pacific Power says it never contacts customers in person demanding on-the-spot payment. If a customer is approached this way, they should contact customer service.

The Bend Police Department said has received 272 calls so far this year related to scams and fraud, already the highest number in a single year this decade.

Pacific Power reports so far this year, there have been 1,776 customer complaints about scam attempts. In October 2022 alone, there were 548 complaints.

Sheila Miller, Bend PD's communications manager, encourages victims of scams to reach out to law enforcement.

"We encourage people to reach out, we may not be able to do much, especially if it's an online scam," she said "But knowing about these things helps us provide communication to people about what they should be looking out for."

Gutierrez added, "We do ask customers to report any scam calls or any scam-related activity to our customer service representatives, including the phone number of the person who's calling and any information they can help provide to track down the potential fraudsters."

Bend police also want to remind the public that they will not call you for immediate, over-the-phone payments.

If you do think you're getting scammed, take time to slow down and not rush decisions.