PUC warns consumers of phone scam
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is warning of a telephone scam involving calls falsely claiming to be from the commission that pressure consumers into making payments.
The PUC said it recently received more than 70 calls on one day from consumers who had received suspicious calls that appeared to be from the commission. The scam callers are fraudulently using the PUC's Philadelphia office phone number in their caller ID to mislead consumers and pressure them into making payments, officials said.
According to reports from consumers and commission staff:
The callers claim to be PUC representatives, telling consumers that PECO, PPL or another utility has reported a request to switch them to a different utility or energy supplier.
If the consumer questions the switch, the scammers claim to have a voice recording of the consumer authorizing it.
The caller then falsely states that the only way to cancel the switch and remain with the utility is to pay a cancellation fee immediately or face termination of service.
The PUC stressed that it does not call consumers directly to demand payment, confirm supplier switches or threaten termination.
Many consumers said they didn't answer the call, but returned the call after researching the number and discovering it belongs to the PUC's Philadelphia office.
The PUC has reported the incident to law enforcement and has alerted utilities about the scam calls. The commission is gathering any relevant information the utilities may have about the scam calls.
Scam prevention tips
The commission offered consumers these tips to help protect against utility scams:
• Do not provide personal or financial information to unsolicited callers. Hang up immediately.
• Do not pay unknown callers or provide them with personal information such utility account information, bank account details, credit card, driver license, date of birth, Social Security number or address information.
• Never trust caller ID alone. Scammers can spoof legitimate phone numbers to make the call appear credible.
• Contact your utility or supplier directly using the phone number on your bill if you have questions about your account or a potential switch.
• Utilities may contact customers by phone if a bill is seriously overdue, but these calls are usually part of a broader series of written and electronic notices about a delinquent account or possible termination. If you're unsure of a call's legitimacy, contact your utility's official customer service hotline.
Taking action
• Report suspicious calls to your utility and the PUC's Bureau of Consumer Services at 1-800-692-7380 or online at www.puc.pa.gov.
• Consumer can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.
• Consider blocking or screening unknown numbers.
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