The Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk is asking residents to be on the lookout for scammers taking advantage of people during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The scammers say they represent the power company, and ask for personal information. They tell people their service could be interrupted. 

“Mississippi Power will never ask for your banking information or a credit card or pre-paid debit card number over the phone or in person at your residence,” Security Investigator Chris Loposser said in a news release. “Scammers try different approaches, but they typically claim your bill is overdue and threaten to disconnect power if immediate payment isn’t made over the phone.”

All Mississippi Power field representatives are uniformed and travel in company vehicles marked with the Mississippi Power logo. Each employee also carries a badge with his or her photograph, name and the company logo.

Some callers are also claiming to be from the Social Security office, asking for personal  information related to the upcoming stimulus checks.

The Social Security office does not ask for personal information over the phone.