Westlake Police Issue Scam Alert

SCAM ALERT

A number of Westlake residents have received phone calls today that indicate they are coming from 1st Energy, report Westlake Police.

The recorded message tells the targeted victim that they have a problem with their bill and to avoid having the power disconnected they have to dial a 1-800 number or simply press “5”.

This connects the citizen with a scammer who will try to talk you into giving personal info or to buy gift cards to pay the bill. Luckily we know of no one who has fallen for the scheme today.

BE AWARE: no company, government agency, police department, IRS etc will ask you to buy gift cards to pay for any warrants or bills. DO NOT BE A VICTIM. Just hang up.