It seems scams are going around these days.

Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger said several businesses across Austin reported a phone scam Thursday involving someone pretending to be from Twin Cities-based Xcel Energy.

According to Krueger, suspects would call and tell businesses they need to pay delinquent utilities bills within an hour or risk having their power turned off. Austin Utilities is the company covering utilities in the area.

This is the latest in a string of scams reported throughout the area. An Austin woman was scammed out of more than $2,200 earlier this week from online perpetrators pretending to be dog breeders.

Krueger urged residents to be wary of phone calls and online offers that seem suspicious and don’t involved traditionally accepted means of payment.

“People are obviously trying to scam people out of money, so just be careful,” he said.