PG&E shares tips on how customers can Recognize and Avoid Utility Scams During the Holiday Season

In 2024, PG&E customers lost more than $334,000 to scammers

OAKLAND, Calif . — As the holiday season approaches, scammers are also stepping up their efforts to target consumers, including utility customers. To help combat this trend, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is teaming up with Utilities United Against Scams to help customers recognize potential scams and avoid falling victim. Every year around the holiday season, scammers target consumers with new, predatory tactics, looking to exploit and defraud customers when they are more distracted or stressed than usual. While many are aware of the danger of scams with online purchases, the same danger exists with utility bills, where scammers demand payment over the phone, online or in person to avoid immediate disconnection of service. Reports of scams targeting PG&E customers have remained alarmingly high throughout 2024. In fact, there have been nearly 15,000 reports so far this year, with customer losses totaling more than 334,000 and an average loss of $628.“Scammers don’t rest during the holidays. “Stress and distraction create opportunities for scammers to deploy their latest strategies to defraud and exploit consumers,” said Matt Foley, PG&E’s senior fraud investigator. “Remember, PG&E will not contact you for the first time within an hour of service disconnection, and we will NEVER request payment with a prepaid debit card or online payment services like Zelle or Venmo.”Small and medium-sized businesses are also a target. Scammers will focus their efforts during peak business hours, taking advantage of business owners’ sense of urgency to keep doors open and lights on. In fact, PG&E has received more than 500 reports of scam attempts targeting these customers during 2024.“We encourage customers of all ages to stop and check any unusual requests from the utility company before making a payment, regardless of whether the contact is by phone, online or in person,” said Monica Martinez, executive director of Utilities United Against Scams. “While scammers often target seniors and vulnerable populations, customers of all age groups report incidents of utility imposter scams occurring online, by phone and in person.”

Signs of a possible scam

Disconnection threat: Scammers may aggressively demand immediate payment of a supposedly overdue bill.
Request for immediate payment: Scammers may direct customers to purchase a prepaid card and then call them back, supposedly to pay a bill.
Prepaid Card Request: When the customer calls back, the caller asks the customer for the prepaid card number, which will give the scammer instant access to the funds on the card.
Refund or discount offers: Scammers may say that your utility company overbilled you and owes you a refund or that you are entitled to a discount.

How can the customer protect themselves?PG&E will never ask customers to specifically purchase a prepaid card to avoid disconnection or shutoff of service, a tactic often used in scam attempts. PG&E does not specify how customers should pay their bills, and instead offers a variety of bill payment methods, including online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person.If a scammer threatens immediate disconnection or shutoff of service without warning, the customer should hang up, delete the email or close the door and report this incident to PG&E at

www.pge.com/scams. Customers with past due accounts will be contacted by PG&E with advance notice of disconnection, usually by mail, which will be included in their regular monthly bill.

Signing up for an online account at pge.com is another protection. Not only can customers log in to check their balance and payment history; they can also sign up for recurring payments and to receive electronic bills and helpful alerts.

Scammers impersonating trusted phone numbers: Scammers can now create seemingly authentic 800 numbers that appear on your phone screen. If called back, the numbers do not direct you 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 feel they are in physical danger, they should call 911. Customers who suspect 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 on how to protect personal information. For more information about scams, visit pge.com/scams or consumer.ftc.gov .