What sort of person takes advantage of people who are trying to do a good thing? Signing up to use renewable energy should be something to feel good about and not be wary of. It’s a step those living in communities offering community power plans can do to help save the planet.

Yet, someone out there did, taking the correct phone number (866-603-POWR) for the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire and changing the first three digits to 800. A Peterborough woman was taken in by the scam, giving out her credit card number before the pitch turned to car insurance and gift cards, at which point she started asking questions and the call ended.

She called the Town of Peterborough to share what happened, and the number is now out of service.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Criminals are willing to exploit grandparents concerned about their grandchildren, and people worried about being in trouble with the IRS. Devious minds scheme up ways to take advantage of others, and it’s a pretty natural instinct to dial 800 when ringing up a toll-free number. And so we need to be vigilant, online and on the phone, and take fast action if something feels suspicious..

Thankfully, for all the awful people like scammers, there are many more good people – people who are honest and kind, who help their neighbors and serve their community. They’re people like the ones we’ll be profiling in our upcoming Hometown Heroes series, for which you can still send nominations through ledgertranscript.com/SpecialPages/Hometown-Heroes.

And they’re people like Janet Reilly, who recently died at age 80. She leaves behind a legacy of family, friendship, fun and service to the community, whether through the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, the Peterborough Woman’s Club, the Divine Mercy Women’s Guild or other efforts. 

They’re people who volunteer to help with children’s activities, like the leaders of the 4-H club in Francestown. When the Francestown Community Market Committee denied the club’s request to sell lemonade at the market this season, the girls in the club and their leaders appealed to the committee. In the end, the committee made the right decision, allowing the club to sell lemonade.

Hearing about scammers can make one cynical about human nature, but good people will restore your faith.

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