Roanoke, Va., December 17, 2009 – In recent weeks, local law enforcement in several communities in Virginia and Appalachian Power security officials have received reports of people impersonating company employees to steal valuables or collect cash under false pretenses.
           
“Customers need to be wary of anyone who says he or she is an Appalachian Power employee and asks for cash or asks to enter your home,” says Gary McGraw, Appalachian Power security coordinator.
 
            Appalachian Power offers the following safety tips for customers:
 
·         Appalachian Power employees always carry company identification,
 
·         Employees can be identified by calling the company’s Customer Solutions Center, 1-800-956-4237 in Virginia.
 
·         Appalachian Power employees do not collect money in the field,
 
·         Appalachian Power employees do not enter homes unless requested to do so, and
 
·         Contractors working for Appalachian Power are in clearly marked vehicles
 
“Unfortunately many of these scam artists prey on the elderly and people who can least afford it,” McGraw says. “If you sense something suspicious you should contact Appalachian Power or your local law enforcement authorities immediately.”
           
Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.
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