SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Utility scams have continued at an alarming rate this year, with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers reporting more than $190,000 in losses to scammers. PG&E is helping customers recognize the signs of a scam and avoid falling victim.

A typical sign of a scam targeting a utility customer includes a caller claiming to be from PG&E and threatening disconnection if immediate payment is not made via a pre-paid debit card, digital payment mobile application or other methods of money transfer.

As a reminder, PG&E will never send a single notification to a customer within one hour of a service interruption and will never ask customers to make payments with a pre-paid debit card, gift card, any form of cryptocurrency or instant mobile payment applications, such as Zelle® or Venmo.

“Scammers seek to create a sense of panic, threatening disconnection of utility services if immediate payment is not made. If a phone call, visit to your home or email doesn’t feel right, don’t fall for it. Hang up, shut the door and do not respond to the email,” said PG&E Cybersecurity Risk Manager Amy Lucido. “Remember, PG&E will never ask for your financial information over the phone or via email, nor will we request payment via pre-paid debit cards or other methods of money transfer, including mobile applications.”

So far this year, PG&E has received more than 10,000 reports of scams targeting residential and business customers with customers reporting losses of more than $190,000. The average scam victim lost more than $900 and more than 200 customers have reported falling victim. This number is likely just the tip of the iceberg however, as many scams go unreported.

Scams reported to PG&E by county so far this year: Butte 62; El Dorado eight; Glenn three; Nevada 18; Placer 75; Sacramento 270; San Joaquin 130; Shasta 32; Sutter 40; Tehama six; and Yuba 43.

Business customers are also not immune from scam attempts. In fact, PG&E has received 250 reports of scams targeting small and medium-sized businesses this year and these attempts frequently occur during busy business hours when scammers hope to catch unsuspecting victims while they are distracted or stressed.

Scammers can be convincing and often target those who are most vulnerable, including senior citizens and low-income communities. They also aim their scams at small business owners during busy customer service hours. However, with the right information, customers can learn to detect and report these predatory scams by visiting www.pge.com/scams or by calling 1-833-500-SCAM.

Scammers are able to create authentic-looking 800 numbers which appear on your phone display. The numbers don’t lead back to PG&E if called back, however, so if you have doubts, hang up and either log into your account at pge.com to confirm your bill details or call PG&E at 1-833-500-SCAM. If customers feel that they are in physical danger, they should call 911.

Signing up for an online account at pge.com is another safeguard. Not only can customers log in to check their balance and payment history, they can sign up for recurring payments, paperless billing and helpful alerts. Customers can also call PG&E Customer Service at 800-743-5000 to confirm their bill details and current amount due.

Customers who suspect that they have been victims of fraud or who feel threatened during contact with these scammers should contact local law enforcement. The Federal Trade Commission’s website is also a good source of information about how to protect personal information. For more information about scams, visit pge.com/scams and/or https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16-million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.