Know the signs and avoid falling victim during
the busy holiday season
OAKLAND,
Calif., Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tis the
season for increasingly sophisticated scams targeting consumers,
including utility customers. As the holiday season gets underway,
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 15.
During a time when many Californians are occupied with
preparations for the holiday season, scammers are working to
exploit unsuspecting customers with sophisticated tactics aimed at
stealing their money. While many are aware of the potential for
online shopping scams, the same danger exists for utility bill
scams, where scammers will demand payment to prevent immediate
disconnection, typically by telephone but also online or in
person.
Reports of scams targeting PG&E customers have been at an
all-time high throughout 2023. In fact, there have been over 37,000
reports year-to-date with customer losses of over $700,000, and an average loss of $816. And, the holiday season provides scammers
with a prime opportunity to take advantage of customers'
distraction and anxiety.
"Scammers are opportunistic and will exploit times when people
are busier than normal and potentially stressed, and they do not
take the holidays off. Stress and distraction create a window of
opportunity where people are also more likely to fall victim to a
scam," said Matt Foley, lead scam
investigator for PG&E. "Remember, PG&E will not contact you
for the first time within one hour of service disconnection, and we
will NEVER request payment by a pre-paid debit card or via online
payment services like Zelle or Venmo."
Another new tactic that scammers are using is search engine
scams, where they create fake sponsored utility payment pages on
search engines like Google to trick customers. Customers who wish
to pay their utility bill online should be sure to only visit the
website listed on their utility bill. For PG&E customers that
is www.pge.com.
"Utility impostor scammers continue to grow more sophisticated
in their tactics. Increasingly, we are seeing scammers use digital
methods that target both younger and older generations. We
encourage customers to stop and verify any unusual utility company
requests before making a payment, regardless of whether the
customer is contacted via phone, internet, or in person," said UUAS
Executive Director Monica
Martinez.
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 will never be asked by PG&E to specifically
purchase a prepaid card to avoid service disconnection or shutoff,
a tactic often used in scam attempts. 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 and report this incident
to PG&E at www.pge.com/scams. Customers with delinquent
accounts will be contacted by PG&E with 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 hangup 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 Utilities United Against Scams (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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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company