A scam is making the rounds, targeting Tampa Electric customers.  

The scammers are calling people, making threats, in hopes of scoring quick cash.

According to TECO, the scammers are calling people and telling them they owe money on their electricity accounts, threatening to cut their power within a few hours if they don’t pay up.

TECO says it’s a scam that’s been around for a few years, but now, it’s making a comeback, and it’s happening not only in Tampa, but all over the country.

Luis Zamora owns Vino E Pasta, an Italian restaurant in Tampa.  He says he received a call about a year ago from someone who said he/she was with Tampa Electric.  The caller told him he hadn’t paid his electric bill for the restaurant.

“They tell me they’re coming to cut the power because I didn’t do my payment that month," Zamora said. "I say, well, that’s impossible because I remembered that I did it."

But, the scammers called around 5 p.m. on a Friday, and Zamora says he already had a private party booked at the restaurant that evening, so he had to have power.  

Feeling he didn't have a choice, he went ahead and paid the $1,200 the scammers said he owed.  

It wasn’t until after the fact that he contacted his bank and realized he had paid his electric bill that month. Then he called TECO and realized he’d been scammed.

“I’m feeling like, I don’t want to say the word 'stupid,' but (laughs) shameful,” Zamora said.

He’d used prepaid debit cards, as he was instructed to do by the scammers, so there was no getting his money back.  Now, he hopes others can learn from his mistake.

“That’s very sad, how much we work to make some money and these people do it so easy in that way,” Zamora said.

Since then, Zamora says he’s received three more calls from someone making the same claims, with one coming just last week.

TECO says it’s working with the sheriff’s office and warning customers on their bills and social media. They say TECO will never call to ask for a customer’s credit or debit card numbers.

If you ever receive a call from someone saying they’re from Tampa Electric and you’re not sure if it’s legit, you can contact TECO directly for verification.