Your phone rings. Caller ID says it’s PG&E. You’re behind on payments, so you pick up and they tell you your electricity will be shut off in an hour unless you pay your bill immediately.
It’s hot outside. You can’t lose power and go without air conditioning. All you have to do is send the payment through Zelle, Venmo or a prepaid debit card.
If you had sent that money, you would have been scammed — and you wouldn’t be alone.
Nearly 200 North State residents have reported scam attempts this year
The company says the number is alarming and it’s alerting customers to not take the bait.
Scammers usually try to hook residents by claiming their services will be shut off if they don’t make an immediate payment using wire transfer or a prepaid debit card.
“Be aware that PG&E doesn't call people with one hour notice of a disconnection of service if you don't pay up.”- Paul Moreno, PG&E spokesperson
PG&E spokesperson Paul Moreno said that’s not how the company operates.
“Be aware that PG&E doesn't call people with one hour notice of a disconnection of service if you don't pay up,” he said.
A big issue is that scammers have gotten crafty with their tactics, he said.
“It's possible for scammers to set their caller ID so that when they're calling someone, it shows up as PG&E with our PG&E customer service number,” Moreno said.
Scammers can also target small businesses during busy hours threatening shutoffs.
If residents have any suspicion they’ve received a scam call, Moreno said to call PG&E customer service and law enforcement.
More than 60 of the reports of scam calls have come from Butte County.
District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the scammers are usually calling from abroad so the crime is hard to prosecute.
“One of my investigators a few years ago indicated he had found a specific scammer internet cafe in Lagos, Nigeria and was angling to go over there and bust them,” Ramsey said. “And I said, ‘let me look at the budget. OK, I can send you over, but I don't have the budget to bring you back.’”
“When you're hot and tired and you don't want your electricity to go out, you start to get desperate.”- Mike Ramsey, District Attorney
With the distance making it hard to take these cases to court, the D.A.’s office focuses on prevention.
Utility imposters use heat and fear to push quick payments
Ramsey said the main thing is never to let callers pressure into acting fast.
It’s a tactic they use to get what they want, he said. And he warns hot temperatures in the summer could make things easier for scammers.
“When you're hot and tired and you don't want your electricity to go out, you start to get desperate,” Ramsey said.
PG&E said 10,000 customers have been scammed out of around $190,000 in the last six months.
The company told NSPR it will never reach out to customers about a power shut off on short notice.Customers would instead receive mailers around two weeks before any service interruptions.
The company also says customers should verify the status of their account online.
