Oneida County Sheriff's Office investigating National Grid phone scam

The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office is warning the local community about a National Grid phone scam.

The Sheriff’s Office says they’re investigating a complaint from a local business owner who received a call from someone claiming to be National Grid. The caller told the business owner that if he didn’t pay more than $900 via “Money Pack Express Cards” within an hour, the business’s power would be shut off.

The owner suspected it was a scam and Google searched the number that the call came from, 1-877-474-1121, and found several search results stating that the number was linked to a scam.

The business owner says that male caller sounded legitimate and even knew the nearest stores that offer the Express Cards.

The Sheriff’s Office says that according to National Grid’s website, the company does accept phone payments but never demands them, and therefore the call is a scam.