La Plata Electric Association said Monday an impostor is again threatening to cut off power to businesses unless they quickly settle a supposedly overdue bill.

The first calls on Christmas Eve were to China Cafe, Mutu’s Italian Kitchen and Tacos Nayarit. The caller demands a credit-card number, which, if not forthcoming, will result in the electricity being disconnected.

The target Monday was Seasons Rotisserie & Grill.

Owner Karen Barger said the caller wanted her to settle a bill of $1,687 within 45 minutes by credit card. Otherwise, electricity would be disconnected.

“I put the caller on hold and checked with LPEA,” she said. “We had a zero balance.”

She didn’t get the caller’s phone number because she didn’t answer the phone.

LPEA doesn’t do business in that way, Steve Gregg, LPEA manager of operations, said in a statement Monday.

“In compliance with federal regulations, LPEA customer representatives don’t accept credit-card payments over the phone,” Gregg said. “If a member calls to pay by credit card, the member is directed to a secure automated voice system.”

When customers have a past-due bill, they receive a series of notices and are given adequate time to settle their bill before service is disconnected, he said.

If a business receives a call about an overdue bill, its representative should call LPEA at 247-5786, he said; the business also should alert authorities.

The San Miguel Power Association, with headquarters in Ridgway, has a warning, too, about scammers but doesn’t say directly its customers have been approached by a bogus bill collector.

The association is part of the same cooperative as LPEA. The members receive electricity from wholesaler Tri-State Generation and Transmission.

daler@durangoherald.com