Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers is warning area residents about a utility scam. Brothers said a local Clarinda business recently received a call from a female purporting to be a customer service representative for MidAmerican Energy. The caller told the business owner that the payment on the electric utility bill was overdue and that the electrical service would be disconnected within the hour if not paid. The customer service representative said payment needed to be made with a “Reload It” prepaid card.

Brothers says “This is a scam. No utility company does business this way.”