National Consumer Protection Week Serves as a
Great Reminder on How to Recognize and Avoid Potential
Scams
OAKLAND,
Calif., March 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scammers
continue to take advantage of Pacific Gas and Electric Company
(PG&E) customers. In fact, in 2023, PG&E received nearly
43,000 reports from customers who were targeted by scammers
impersonating the company, and customers lost approximately
$875,000 in fraudulent payments, with
the average customer losing $785.
That's why PG&E joins the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to
help customers recognize and avoid potential scams during National
Consumer Protection Week from March
3-9, 2024.
Reports of utility scams targeting customers were at an all-time
high during 2023. Unfortunately, that number is likely just the tip
of the iceberg for overall scam attempts, as many go unreported.
The number of reports is continuing at a high level thus far in
2024, as PG&E received over 2,500 reports of attempted scams in
January alone, with customers paying scammers over $67,000 during the month.
"Scammers will attempt to create a sense of urgency by
threatening immediate disconnection of your utility services if you
don't make immediate payment. Remember, PG&E will never ask you
for financial information over the phone, nor will we ask for
payment via pre-paid debit cards or money transfer services like
Zelle. If you receive a call like this, hang up, and then either
log onto PGE.com to confirm your account details, or you can call
our customer service number," said Matt
Foley, lead customer scam investigator for PG&E.
Scammers are opportunistic and look for times when customers may
be distracted or stressed and are constantly contacting utility
customers asking for immediate payment to avoid service
disconnection. As a reminder, 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 like Zelle or Venmo.
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 prepaid card then call them back supposedly
to make a bill payment.
- Request for prepaid card: When the customer calls back,
the caller asks the customer for the prepaid 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 prepaid 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. The numbers don't lead back to PG&E if
called back, however, so if you have doubts, 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
one of these scammers, 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 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 pge.com and pge.com/news.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company