OHIO COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — The Ohio County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a warning about a new phone scam spreading across the Ohio Valley.

Deputies say the caller claims to be employed with AEP. The scammer then advises the customer their bill is past due and if not paid, their electric will be shut off immediately by a technician in the field who is completing the disconnections.

The caller then says the past due payment maybe a result of AEP’s ongoing “software update” and all payments made will be reimbursed once the update is complete. The customer is then assured that a reimbursement check is in the mail and will receive it within the next 24-48 hours if paid in full.

The phone number provided by the scammer was 1-800-625-0839, the same number the agent calls the customer from. The agent advises that the technician’s name in the field is named “David” and his badge number is 1054.

If you have any information that can help investigators, call the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office at 304-234-3688.