Manitoba Hydro is once again warning customers about a company trying to sell a "power saving device" which can supposedly save you a substantial amount on your electricity bill. Spokesperson Glenn Schneider tells us the Crown corporation has received numerous calls in recent weeks from concerned customers regarding phone solicitations from this company.

There have been reports the phone solicitors are pretending to be Manitoba Hydro employees, and are telling customers these devices are approved by Hydro.

"Some instances they are intimating this is approved by Manitoba Hydro or endorsed by Manitoba Hydro, and asks for credit card information over the phone. Neither of those things are attributable to Manitoba Hydro," says Schneider. "We don't endorse this kind of device, we don't know of any magic device that you plug into your wall and somehow it saves you electricity."

Schneider tells us Manitoba Hydro has not approved such a device, stressing these devices have also not been approved by the Canadian Standards Association or CSA International, meaning the devices may not comply with relevant standards for safety and performance.

"They claim the devices are certified, but they don't claim that it's by the Canadian Standards Association or CSA, they claim some accreditation by CE whatever that is, " says Schneider. "Again, customers need to be wary of this kind of sales pitch."

He says this type of scam pops up every six to eighteen months. Schneider adds in the past they have heard of customers duped by this sort of scam, but they are not aware of any customers going for it this time around.

If any customers receive phone calls of this type, they should report them immediately to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.