PSEG warns customers about increase in payment scams

Public Service Electric and Gas Company, New Jersey’s largest utility, is telling customers to be on the lookout for scammers demanding an immediate bill payment through a pre-paid credit card.”During the last several days, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of phone scams being reported,” Greg Dunlap, vice president of customer operations for PSE&G, said in a prepared statement. “Scammers can — and do — target anyone. But they tend to more often target small business customers, because they have larger bills than residential customers, but don’t have all of the checks and balances to prevent fraud that large business customers typically have.”

This is how the scam plays out:

• Someone pretending to be a PSE&G employee calls a customer and tells them that without immediate payment via a pre-paid credit card, their services will be terminated.
• The customer is given a telephone number to call back after they have purchased the card. When they call the number, they hear automatic voice prompts that imitate those they would hear when calling the real PSE&G service line.
• A fake representative will pick up the line and ask for the number on the back of the pre-paid card. After the scammers have the number, they will take the money from the card within a matter of minutes.

PSE&G said customers need to be cautious when someone calls threatening service termination. When it doubt, PSE&G said, hang up and call the number listed on a bill or its website.

“If you receive a call from anyone demanding immediate payment, do not give them any personal or account information,” Dunlap said in a prepared statement. “Hang up the phone, and call the number listed on PSE&G’s website and bills: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734).”

Before terminating service, PSE&G said it alerts customers in a variety of ways, including messages on their bills, letters and phone calls. The utility also offers a number of payment options and would never demand customers to use one specific type of payment.