Almost immediately after releasing last week’s blog regarding slamming, we were made aware of a recent scam affecting customers that are served by Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. (RG&E) and New York State Electric & Gas Corp. (NYSEG). Customers are being warned about scammers claiming they represent the utility and who say they are calling about billing matters.
The latest scam involves mention of a “Green Dot MoneyPak Card” that the caller tries to get the client to purchase. Customers are being threatened that their utilities will be shut off if they do not purchase this card.
Officials from each utility tell customers to keep in mind that customers are not contacted for payment on accounts in good standing. Furthermore, the utilities say they never ask customers to purchase a debit card to make a payment. If you ever have questions about the legitimacy of a call you get regarding your utilities be sure to contact company representatives at the number provided to you at the start of service (this number should be also located on your utility bill), NOT the number provided to you by the caller in question.
If you have questions about a call you have received regarding a possible scam you can contact RG&E at 1.800.743.2110 or NYSEG at 1.800.572.1111. In addition, not matter what utility territory you reside within if you think you have become victim of a recent utility scam please contact the Federal Trade Commission and local police department.