Officials warn of utility scams involving PSE&G impostors
Residents are being warned about scams targeting utility customers, including recent schemes involving people pretending to be PSE&G, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office.
Scammers may contact customers via text message, email or phone call, claiming terms of service have changed, payment is late or credit is available, officials said. Messages often contain links to websites that contain subtle typos or misspelled words.
In a payment scam, a person pretending to be a PSE&G representative tells the customer that a technician is scheduled to disconnect service for nonpayment. The caller can verify the customer’s address and direct them to call 1‑88‑588‑9167 and press option 1 to speak to a manager to resolve the issue.
The prosecutor’s office said the scam could be used to steal passwords and personal information.
Residents are encouraged to ask for identification if someone claiming to be a PSE&G employee shows up at their door. All PSE&G employees are required to carry identification and present it upon request. If residents are not convinced, they should not allow the person inside and call 911 or PSE&G at 1‑800‑436‑PSEG (7734), where a customer service representative can confirm whether a technician has been dispatched.
Residents should only use the official 1‑800‑436‑PSEG number to verify employees and should not call phone numbers provided by unknown parties.
Officials also said PSE&G would never send employees to a home or small business that offered cash refunds for deposits or utility fees. The company issues refunds by depositing money into customer accounts or by sending a check to the service address.
As an additional precaution, customers are asked not to share personal information such as their date of birth, Social Security number, account login information or financial account details. Customers should enable two-step verification whenever possible, block fraudulent phone numbers, and report suspicious texts as junk or spam.
Anyone who believes they have been the target of a scam should contact their local police department. Scams may also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission or the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
This article was first published on MyCentralJersey.com: Detecting and reporting PSE&G frauds in New Jersey
