MidAmerican Energy Co. is warning business owners and the public of a phone scam targeting utility customers in the Des Moines area.

In the past few days, more than 60 businesses in the Des Moines area reported receiving a scam call. The majority were small businesses such as coffee shops, restaurants, child care centers, automotive shops, beauty salons and furniture stores. Unfortunately, some business owners have reported losing money or disclosing personal information to the scammer.

In general, the scam works like this: Scammers, claiming to work for MidAmerican Energy, call residential or business customers demanding payment by threatening immediate service disconnection. The thief advises the customer to make a payment in one of two ways: either immediately on the phone via credit card or by calling back a specific number, which often resembles MidAmerican Energy’s phone response system, and paying with a pre-paid (Green Dot) card.

The criminals are often persistent and use sophisticated deceptive tactics that make it appear to Caller ID systems that the scam call is coming from the utility when it is not. They will often impersonate MidAmerican Energy representatives.

Anyone who receives such a call should hang up and call MidAmerican Energy at 1-888-427-5632 to inquire about the call with a customer service representative.

Watch MidAmerican Energy’s scam prevention video for more advice on how to protect yourself from fraudulent calls.