Sheriff urges residents to be aware of a telephone scam in which a man threatens to immediately disconnect your electricity unless you pay a phony bill

Sheriff James Pohlmann is urging St. Bernard Parish residents to be aware of a telephone scam first reported Thursday in which a man threatens to immediately disconnect your electricity unless you pay a phony bill.

Two separate complaints were made in St. Bernard by a school and an individual in which a man had called and threatened that workers with Entergy were on utility poles prepared to disconnect their electricity for alleged unpaid bills, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The person directs the receiver of the call to immediately go purchase a pre-paid debit card to make a large payment on a phony bill, the sheriff said.

“Don’t fall for this,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said. “Don’t go give your money to them.’’ Hang up and report it to the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501, he said.

Anyone with information about who is behind the scam should call the Sheriff’s Office or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.