San Benito County residents reporting scam calls to PG&E

This article was written by BenitoLink intern Alexis Castro Juarez

PG&E is warning its customers that scammers are targeting utility customers “at an all time high.” 

According to the Corporate Communications Representative Mayra Tostado, PG&E has received 30 calls this year from San Benito County—20 of which came from Hollister, six from San Juan Bautista and four from the unincorporated area. 

Tostado said, “The numbers don’t represent the extent of the problem because most scam attempts go unreported and some customers who are scammed hesitate to report actual crimes to PG&E and law enforcement due to shame.”

According to a news release PG&E, which provides electric and natural gas service throughout most of Northern and Central California, there have been over 19,000 scam attempts reported by customers in 2023. It adds that customers lost nearly $342,000 in the first four months of the year. 

In 2022 PG&E received nearly 23,000 reports from customers who were targeted by scammers impersonating the company. Customers made about $946,000 in fraudulent payments, the release said.

A typical scam targeting utility customers includes a caller claiming to be from PG&E and threatening disconnection of service if immediate payment is not made through a prepaid debit card or money transfer service like Zelle. 

PG&E says it never sends a single notification to a customer within one hour of a service interruption, and never asks customers to make payment with a prepaid debit card, gift card, any form of cryptocurrency or third-party digital payment mobile applications.

“If you ever receive a call threatening utility disconnection if you do not make immediate payment, hang up the phone and either log into your account on pge.com or call our customer service number to confirm your account details,” the release says.

Scammers can be convincing and often target those who are most vulnerable, including senior citizens and low-income residents. They also aim their scams at small business owners during busy customer service hours, according to the release. 

Another emerging scam trend involves scammers targeting real estate agents through their listings, and threatening to shut off power if immediate payment is not made. 

Other signs of potential scams include:

• 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 first purchase a prepaid card, then call back 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, and ask you for your personal financial information.
• 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. Customers who feel they are in physical danger are advised to call 911.

According to the PG&E news release, customers can protect themselves by not purchasing a prepaid card to avoid service disconnection or shutoff. 

PG&E said it does not specify how customers should make a bill payment and offers a variety of ways to pay, including accepting payments online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person.

It adds that 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 also sign up for recurring payments, paperless billing and helpful alerts.

Customers who suspect that they have been victims of fraud or feel threatened during contact with a scammer are advised to 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 https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams.

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