Residents are warned to be aware of scams targeting utility customers, including recent scams involving people pretending to be PSE&G, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Scammers may contact customers via text message, email or phone, claiming that terms of service have changed, payments are overdue or a line of credit is available, authorities said. Messages often contain links to websites with subtle typos or misspellings.
In one payment scam, a caller posing as a PSE&G representative told the customer that a technician planned to disconnect service for nonpayment. Callers can confirm the customer’s address and instruct them to dial 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 advised to ask for identification if someone claiming to be a PSE&G employee comes to 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 individual entry and should call 911 or PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) and a customer service representative can verify whether a technician has been dispatched.
Residents should only use the official 1-800-436-PSEG number to verify employee identity and should not call numbers provided by unknown persons.
The authority also noted that PSE&G will never send employees to homes or small businesses to provide cash refunds for deposits or utility bills. The company issues refunds by crediting the customer’s account or mailing a check to a service address.
As an extra precaution, we urge customers not to share personal information such as date of birth, Social Security number, account login credentials, or financial account details. Customers should enable two-step verification (if available), block scam phone numbers and report suspicious text messages as spam.
Anyone who believes they have been targeted by a scam should contact their local police department. Scams can also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission or the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: How to spot and report PSE&G scams in New Jersey