PSEG Alerts Public to New Wave of Utility Payment Scams

If someone calls you and threatens to immediately shut off the power, it’s likely a scam.

And, perhaps, if it were a normal day, alarm bells would loudly ring in your mind. But against the backdrop of the holiday season — and the stress that comes with it — you may be more susceptible.

Scammers are targeting households and businesses on Long Island, impersonating PSEG Long Island and area utilities in their demands for immediate payment to prevent a shutoff, according to a recent press release from PSEG Long Island. If confronted with a threat, the company urges customers to slow down and verify, in order to stop the scam.

“We want all customers to stay vigilant against utility impostor scams,” Lou DeBrino, PSEG Long Island’s vice president of customer operations, said in a statement. “It may be an advanced digital scam, an in-person scammer or a telephone call, but most scammers try to blindside you with an urgent problem in the hopes that you panic and miss all the clues that they’re not who they appear to be.”

Many scammers use phone “spoofing” technology to make their number display on your phone as “PSEG Long Island,” and request that customers use one specific method of payment. Scammers typically want their victims to transfer money via a web-based electronic payment service, a prepaid debit card, or even Bitcoin, sometimes asking people to buy a prepaid card at the nearest convenience store and then to read them the PIN over the phone.

PSEG Long Island does not accept web-based electronic payment services, prepaid debit cards or Bitcoin as payment, the release said. The utility also doesn’t require a deposit for meter installations, which scammers sometimes also demand.

Occasionally, scammers may go door to door impersonating PSEG Long Island employees, flashing a fake ID or claiming to be a utility collection representative. The impostors may wear uniforms or affix false company signs to their vehicles, and generally ask for personal information, which real utility representatives do not do, or offer bogus discounts.

PSEG Long Island employees must carry a company ID and present it when requested. If customers have doubts, they should not let the person into the house and call 1-800-490-0025 to verify. If the person escalates their efforts to enter the home, customers should consider calling 911.

“Scammers continue to evolve their tactics, often using urgency and threats to pressure customers into making rash decisions,” Utilities United Against Scams Executive Director Monica Martinez said in a statement. “The ‘Slow Down, Verify, Stop the Scam’ framework is a simple, powerful tool designed to cut through that pressure, giving customers the confidence to pause and confirm any suspicious request before it’s too late.”

Recently, scammers have been placing fraudulent QR code stickers on publicly available electric vehicle charging stations. These stickers contain branding that makes them appear to be a legitimate way of activating the charger, directing customers to websites that ask for personal identifiable information and credit card information.

In some cases, these stickers may contain fraudulent branding from local electric utilities. PSEG Long Island does not currently offer any programs that require customers to interface with its website in order to activate a public vehicle charging station.

Some scammers also purchase web domains that closely resemble the actual URL of a utility and create a fraudulent replica of the legitimate website. Their plan is to dupe users who click on these fake sites via search results, or type in an inaccurate web address. Once on the spoofed site, a visitor is presented with a number of bill payment options, all pointing back to an outside bill pay site. PSEG Long Island always uses the “.com” domain.

Customers should also know what PSEG Long Island will and won’t discuss over the phone. A genuine PSEG Long Island representative will ask to speak to the customer of record. If that person is available, the representative will explain why they are calling and provide the account name, address and current balance. If the person on the phone does not provide the correct information, it is likely the customer is not speaking with a PSEG Long Island representative.

If the customer of record is not available, the representative will not discuss the account at all and ask that a message be left for the customer to call 1-800-490-0025.

“If you are unexpectedly contacted by someone claiming to be from PSEG Long Island and threatening to immediately shut off your power without payment, take a step back and contact PSEG Long Island independently to verify before acting,” DeBrino said.

If a customer has doubts about the legitimacy of a call or an email — especially one in which payment is requested — they should call the company directly at 1-800-490-0025. For more information, visit psegliny.com/myaccount/customersupport/scamsandfraud.