Atlanta, GA – Scammers are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting Georgia Power customers.

The power company announced that it will temporarily suspend residential disconnections as of March 14. The policy is in place for 30 days and will be reevaluated.

“Georgia Power highly encourages all customers to continue to make payments and practice energy efficiency to avoid large balance due amounts when the suspension ends,” the power company said.

People should be on alert for scammers.

“Customers should beware of phone calls demanding payment via phone,” the power company said. “Georgia Power will never ask for a credit card or pre-paid debit card number over the phone. If a customer receives a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from Georgia Power and demanding payment to avoid disconnection, they should hang up and contact the company’s customer service line at 888-660-5890. Georgia Power works with law enforcement agencies throughout the state to identify and prosecute criminals who pose as Georgia Power employees in order to defraud customers. Additional information about frequent scams and how the company works to protect customers is available at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Scams.”

Georgia Power also is taking a number of steps to protect employees who are working at the power plants to keep the lights on during the pandemic.

“Georgia Power remains focused on protecting the safety and health of workers at the Vogtle 3 & 4 site, and the company’s implementation of comprehensive plans have helped us take every action to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic,” the power company said. “Our proactive steps employ aggressive worker distancing strategies, including expanding our onsite medical clinic, adjusting break schedules and setting up mobile facilities to add more distance between individuals onsite. We continue to draw on the expertise of medical professionals and consult the latest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as we encourage the workforce to more closely monitor their health and report concerns. We have also taken immediate precautionary steps to identify and notify workers who were located in close proximity to the individuals being tested and have sent those team members home while we await test results.”

Other steps the power company has taken include:

– Adding portable bathrooms and washing stations, adjusting break schedules and setting up additional space with overflow tents.

– Closing the onsite cafeteria

– Suspending onsite mass transit trams and shuttle busses.

– Limiting one person per transaction for tools and materials pickup

– Pre-staging certain tools and materials ready for pickup.

– Disinfecting tools prior to check-in

Employees who can telecommute are being asked to do so.

[adsanity id=”59104″ align=”alignleft” /] [adsanity id=”56211″ align=”alignright” /]

[adsanity id=”59106″ align=”alignleft” /] [adsanity id=”59208″ align=”alignright” /]

Decaturish.com is working to keep your community informed about coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. All of our coverage on this topic can be found at Decaturishscrubs.com. If you appreciate our work on this story, please become a paying supporter. For as little as $3 a month, you can help us keep you in the loop about what your community is doing to stop the spread of COVID-19. To become a supporter, click here.

Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every morning? Sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here. 

[adsanity id=”56022″ align=”aligncenter” /]

[adsanity id=”33719″ align=”alignleft” /] [adsanity id=”52166″ align=”alignright” /]