BELFAST, Maine — City police are warning residents about a fuel oil scam that uses local supplier Tidewater Oil Co. as the bait.
Patrolman Eric Kelly said a woman this week received a call from a person claiming to be a Tidewater representative who said the company needed her credit card information in advance of any oil delivery. Tidewater does not use the phone to solicit customers and only accepts credit or debit cards after a delivery, Kelly said.
Kelly said the call appeared to be legitimate because it began with a recorded message saying the call was from Tidewater and then asked the target to press 9 on the phone; the call then was transferred to another “‘company employee” who proceeded to request the card numbers.
Kelly urged residents to report any such calls. He also asked that anyone receiving such a call that has Caller ID should take note of the return number and report it to the police department at 338-2040.