The area's biggest utilities are cautioning customers to beware, as the companies have received reports of individuals falsely representing themselves as employees.

"Those folks are going door to door, they're saying they're from Avista or Kootenai Electric," said Erika Neff, spokeswoman for Kootenai Electric Cooperative.

Neff said the utility received a call late last month from a customer reporting that someone had come to the door claiming to be a Kootenai Electric employee, and asked to step in and inspect the heating and electrical system.

"It wasn't (our employee)," Neff said. "The member was suspicious and called us to check in, and that's what we want members to do."

Dan Kolbet with Avista said the customer service line has received an increased number of calls in recent weeks about such incidents, many in Hayden and Sandpoint.

"They will arrive at the door, try to sweet talk their way into a home," Kolbet said. "In some incidents, I've heard these are people showing up claiming to be from Avista, when Avista doesn't even serve that territory."

He isn't aware of any burglaries occurring during these confrontations, he said.

Calls also came in during the summer about such incidents, he added, though not as many as now.

It's possible these are employees from competing businesses trying to get an edge by using the names of bigger utilities, he said.

"I honestly can't say if these companies are scamming or not," Kolbet said. "Our goal is to make sure our customer is aware if somebody knocks on your door and claims to be from Avista, there are really simple ways to determine whether it's true or not."

Those include checking for a vehicle marked with a company logo, he said, and asking to see an employee's ID badge. Customers can also confirm an employee's status by calling Kootenai Electric at 765-1200, or Avista at (800) 227-9187.

Neither company sells products door to door, and employees would never ask for a customer's personal information, the spokespeople confirmed. Employees typically don't access a home or business unless the customer has called in about a problem.

Maj. Ben Wolfinger with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department said there have been a handful of reports recently about suspicious individuals claiming to be from Avista.

There were no crimes reported from those incidents, he said.

"The problem is, we don't really have a crime," he said of the door-to-door visits. "You can't impersonate a police officer or a doctor, but there's no crime against impersonating somebody from a utility."

Still, the sheriff's department would like to track the culprits down, he said, and would appreciate a call when they appear in a neighborhood.

He requested folks take down the individual's license plate, or be able to provide a description.

"The real key here is if you didn't call them and they just show up at the door, I'd be calling up the utility and saying, 'This guy is saying he's with you, is he?'" Wolfinger said.