The local Alabama Power Company office has received several calls from local businesses reporting scam calls. Alabama Power wants you to know the following:  The holiday season should be a time of joy and celebration. Unfortunately, it is also a time for scam artists to prey on the unsuspecting.

Scammers hope to profit this time of year as people become preoccupied with gift-buying, festivities, family and travel.

Scams seem obvious after the fact, but scammers are smart and know they don’t always need to make sense; they just need to scare the intended victim. They want to make the target believe they are in trouble and that they are the only ones who can help. This type of emotional manipulation is easy when it comes to utilities. Electricity, for example, is a vital service, and everyone wants to keep their lights on, their homes warm and their businesses running.

Let’s be clear

Alabama Power will never call you on the phone to tell you your power is being shut off. And don’t be fooled by your caller ID. A scammer can “spoof” the phone number to make it falsely appear it is coming from your area. Scammers can even make it show “Alabama Power” on the caller ID, even if their calls are coming from another part of the country or even abroad.

But don’t lose your holiday spirit. It’s easy to avoid these scams. If someone calls and says your electricity or another vital service is being turned off unless you make an immediate payment, hang up and call your local authorities. This is a crime that should be reported to law enforcement. The next call should be to your utility company’s billing department to confirm your account status and alert them of the scam.

And if someone comes to your door claiming to be from Alabama Power or another utility and demands immediate payment, do not let them in your home. Call the local authorities right away and then call the utility. If an Alabama Power employee does come to your door for another reason, he or she should be able to provide official identification and will have no issue with you calling the company to confirm the visit is related to legitimate Alabama Power business.

The best way to squash these scams is to let others know they are taking place, and to not be fooled. So this holiday season, as you go about spreading cheer, think about those near and dear to you who might be vulnerable to scam artists and spread the word.

Tips to remember

To avoid being scammed this holiday season, Alabama Power customers should remember:

•  Alabama Power employees will never come to your door and demand an immediate payment.
•  No employee will ever call and ask you for bank information or a credit card
•  Any Alabama Power employee who comes to your door for any reason will have company identification that he or she will gladly show. If you have any questions about whether a person works for Alabama Power, call 1-888-430-5787 and do not let the employee inside your home until you receive proper verification.
•  Scammers sometimes claim they represent a public agency or government office offering grants that can pay your Alabama Power or other utility bills. Never provide anyone making this claim your credit card information, your Alabama Power Company bill information or account number, or any personal banking information. If someone makes this claim, call Alabama Power or your local police department to report it.
•  If you ever have any question about the status of your Alabama Power account, do not hesitate to call the company. You can reach Alabama Power Customer Service day or night, seven days a week, at 1-888-430-5787.

The Haleyville Board of Education met Tuesday evening and approved the financial statements and board expenditures for November, in the amount of $1,467,476.36. The Board approved an amendment to the Haleyville High School athletic supplement list. The use of the HES lunchroom was approved for the HHS Senior Play February 16-18. One field trip and 5 fund raisers were approved. Under personnel, the Board approved the resignation request of Stephan (Bo) Culver as Head Football Coach and Athletic Director effective January 23. Todd McNutt was approved as interim Head Coach and Athletic Director. Coach Culver will become the Head Football Coach at Deshler High School. Tiffany Smith was granted family medical leave in January and February. The resignation request from Emile Aiton, as Special Education Teacher at HHS as approved. The next meeting of the Haleyville Board of Education will be Tuesday, January 24. 

The New Bethel Baptist Church located on Marion County Highway 167, (just off County Highway 48) was totally destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning. Haleyville, Bear Creek, and Hackleburg fireman responded just before 6 a.m. but the building was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. The cause of the fire is unknown but is being investigated by an Alabama State Fire Marshall.