03:46 PM EST on Friday, March 11, 2005

PROVIDENCE - - Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch is warning Rhode Islanders about a scam where a caller claiming to represent the "electric company" tries tricking consumers out of credit-card information.

The caller states that the resident's bill is overdue and that the power will be shut off within minutes unless the call recipient provides credit card information to pay the bill.

A resident of Pascoag reported receiving such a call last week, and residents of northern Rhode Island have reported receiving similar calls, Lynch said. The caller to the Pascoag resident claimed to represent Narragansett Electric, according to Lynch.

Narragansett Electric posted an advisory about the scam on its Web site, Lynch said, but he added that it's possible that the scam artist is using the names of other utilities or businesses.

"No one is exempt from being targeted by an identity thief," Lynch said. "I can't emphasize enough how important it is that consumers never divulge any personal information, whether the person calls, comes to your door, or asks for it in an email."

Narragansett Electric uses a different method to inform its residents that their bills are overdue, according to Lynch.

He said Narragansett Electric uses an automated calling system to advise consumer about overdue bills and that the call from Narragansett Electric would include the customer's name and amount due. And, Lynch said, with Narragansett Electric, the customer initiates the process to pay by credit card.

Consumers can learn more about identity theft by calling Lynch's Consumer Protection Unit at 274-4400, or by contacting the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877-438-4338.