On Utility Scam Awareness Day, PG&E Wants to Help Customers Recognize and Avoid Utility Scams
November 15 2022 - 10:35AM
Business Wire
With Reports of Scams on the Rise, PG&E
Shares Tips on How to Avoid Falling Victim to Scams
As the number of scams targeting utility customers continue at
an alarming rate, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is
joining Utilities United Against Scams to help customers recognize
potential scams as part of Utility Scam Awareness Day on November
16.
In fact, during 2022 PG&E has received over 23,000 reports
from customers who were targeted by scammers impersonating the
company, and customers have lost nearly $1.3 million in fraudulent
payments. This number marks a dramatic increase when compared to
2021, when there were just over 11,000 reports for the entire year.
Unfortunately, these numbers do not capture the full extent of
overall scam attempts, as many go unreported.
“Avoiding a scam is as simple as hanging up the phone. If you
ever receive a call threatening disconnection if you do not make
immediate payment, simply hang up and either call PG&E to
confirm your account details or log onto your account on PGE.com.
Remember, PG&E will never ask for you for your financial
information over the phone or via email, nor will we request
payment via pre-paid debit cards or other payment services like
Zelle,” said Aaron Johnson, PG&E Bay Area regional vice
president.
Scammers are opportunistic and look for times when customers may
be distracted or stressed, and the holiday season provides a prime
opportunity for them. PG&E will never send a single
notification to a customer within one hour of a service
interruption, and we will never ask customers to make payments with
a pre-paid debit card, gift card, any form of cryptocurrency, or
third-party digital payment mobile applications.
“Utilities will continue to unite to combat scammers by
spreading awareness and by working with telecom partners to remove
access to phone lines for reported scammers. We encourage
policymakers to adopt stronger public protections and encourage
private citizens and small businesses to stay vigilant against
scams,” said UUAS Chair Bud Ajdukovic. “Scams are on the rise, and
these opportunistic criminals have used past crises such as the
pandemic and natural disasters to target customers and small
businesses when they are most vulnerable.”
Scammers can be convincing and often target those who are most
vulnerable, including senior citizens and low-income communities.
They also aim their scams at small business owners during busy
customer service hours. However, with the right information,
customers can learn to detect and report these predatory scams.
Signs of a potential scam
- Threat to disconnect: Scammers may aggressively demand
immediate payment for an alleged past due bill.
- Request for immediate payment: Scammers may instruct the
customer to purchase a pre-paid card then call them back supposedly
to make a bill payment.
- Request for pre-paid card: When the customer calls back,
the caller asks the customer for the pre-paid card’s number, which
grants the scammer instant access to the card’s funds.
- Refund or rebate offers: Scammers may say that your
utility company overbilled you and owes you a refund, or that you
are entitled to a rebate.
How customers can protect themselves
Customers should never purchase a pre-paid card to avoid service
disconnection or shutoff. PG&E does not specify how customers
should make a bill payment and offers a variety of ways to pay a
bill, including accepting payments online, by phone, automatic bank
draft, mail or in person.
If a scammer threatens immediate disconnection or shutoff of
service without prior notification, customers should hang up the
phone, delete the email, or shut the door. Customers with
delinquent accounts receive an advance disconnection notification,
typically by mail and included with their regular monthly bill.
Signing up for an online account at pge.com is another
safeguard. Not only can customers log in to check their balance and
payment history, they can sign up for recurring payments, paperless
billing and helpful alerts.
Scammers Impersonating Trusted Phone Numbers: Scammers
are now able to create authentic-looking 800 numbers which appear
on your phone display. If called back, the numbers do not lead back
to PG&E. If a customer has doubts about the authenticity of the
call, they should hang up and call PG&E at 1-833-500-SCAM. If
customers ever feel that they are in physical danger, they should
call 911.
Customers who suspect that they have been victims of fraud, or
who feel threatened during contact with a scammer, should contact
local law enforcement. The Federal Trade Commission’s website is
also a good source of information about how to protect personal
information.
For more information about scams, visit pge.com/scams or
consumer.ftc.org.
About UUAS
UUAS, a consortium of more than 150 U.S. and Canadian electric,
water, and natural gas utilities and their respective trade
associations, continues to raise customer awareness of common scams
and new scam tactics being used by utility impostors. Through its
work and with the help of customer reporting, UUAS has successfully
helped to take nearly 13,000 toll-free numbers used by scammers
against utility customers out of operation.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
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