Shady business

AZLE — According to Azle Police Department scanner chatter from Nov. 19 a suspicious individual may have been impersonating an Oncor Electric employee on Shady Lane last week. For two consecutive days, a resident of the street reported seeing an individual wearing a white Oncor hard hat and a yellow safety vest looking at homes in the area. Upon calling Oncor, the resident was informed that there were no employees rendering services on that street and that the individual described does not represent the company. The resident contacted the APD to investigate. They last reported the individual heading toward Stewart Street.

Officers were unable to locate the subject associated with the report and no additional information has been provided at this time. Residents should remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police department, APD Community Liaison Leslie Dvorak said in an email to the Tri-County Reporter.

In a recent communications brief, Oncor urged customers to be careful of scammers impersonating employees.

“It should be a red flag to customers if someone contacts them by phone or in person requesting payment,” Oncor Director of Corporate Security Jim Stockton said. “You can call Oncor (888-313-6862) to confirm an employee’s identity, but if you fear for your safety, call 911 immediately. Do not let a stranger into your house or go anywhere with them. We take imposters very seriously and will work in tandem with local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute anyone who violates the law and the public’s trust.”

Oncor is not a retailer and does not sell electricity directly to customers. No Oncor employee will ever stop by your home to collect a payment, nor will they ask you via phone, text, in person or online for credit card information, the release said.

There have been numerous cases of identity thieves and scammers impersonating Oncor employees in order to steal personal information in the recent past. In 2018, The Dallas Morning News reported that an individual posing as an Oncor employee went door-to-door in Arlington in an attempt to collect social security numbers. There have been reports of similar incidents throughout North Texas and words of caution issued by the company in many subsequent years.