EDINBURG – A woman in Edinburg may soon be left in the dark if she doesn’t pay her electricity bill by Friday.

Janie Cantu received a “Notice of Meter Tampering” from the American Electric Power company in the mail late-January.

A few weeks later, she received a bill for nearly nine times what she typically pays.

The electric company claims it’s not a glitch; someone had to manually tamper with the meter.

Cantu contacted CHANNEL 5 NEWS for help after she said neither AEP nor CP&L Retail Energy could provide proof of what lead to the charges.

In February, the homeowner received her bill, which included consumption adjustments dating back to August of last year. The bill totaled $1,191.41.

“I want an explanation. I want proof. I want pictures,” demanded Cantu.

Cantu said if her power is disconnected, she simply can't switch electric companies. 

According to the original notice, she has to pay the charges before moving on.

A spokesperson with AEP said they've explained the situation to Cantu, but won't comment further because there is an ongoing investigation.