Uniondale, NY - October 16, 2017 - PSEG Long Island urges customers to be wary of a variety of nationwide scams that continue to target utility customers. In recent weeks, PSEG Long Island has heard from its customers scammers have called pretending to be a PSEG Long Island employee and the caller ID may read PSEG Long Island, demanding payment for past-due bills and threatening to have electric service shut off if payment isn’t remitted immediately.
“We take very seriously any attempt to defraud our customers,” said Rick Walden, vice president, customer operations, PSEG Long Island. “Termination of service is a last resort, and before proceeding, PSEG Long Island alerts customers in advance through messages on bills, letters and phone calls. To help avoid being scammed, be aware of your payment history.”
With this scam, a call is generated with a phony PSEG Long Island caller ID and an individual pretending to be a PSEG Long Island employee tells customers that, without immediate payment via a pre-paid card (e.g. Green Dot Money Pak, Vanilla Reload Card), their service will be shut off. Customers are then given a telephone number to call back after they have purchased the card. When customers call that number, they hear interactive voice response prompts that imitate those they would hear when calling the authentic PSEG Long Island customer service line. When a fake representative answers the line, they ask for the number on the back of the pre-paid card. After the scammers have that number, they can take the money from the card – usually within a matter of minutes.
“The good news is, fewer customers are falling victim to the scam. However, just one affected customer is one too many,” said Rick Walden, vice president, customer operations, PSEG Long Island. “If you receive a call from anyone demanding immediate payment, do not give them any personal or account information, hang up the phone and call PSEG Long Island at 1-800-490-0025.”
What to do if you get a call
When PSEG Long Island makes an outbound phone call to customers, the representative will ask to speak to the Customer of Record. If that person is available, the PSEG Long Island representative will explain why they are calling and will share information that includes the account name, address and current balance. If customers do not receive this correct information, they likely are not speaking with a PSEG Long Island representative. Additionally, if the Customer of Record is not available, the PSEG Long Island representative will not discuss the account at all. The representative will ask the party who answered to give the Customer of Record a message to call PSEG Long Island at 1-800-490-0025.
PSEG Long Island offers a variety of payment options (not including pre-paid debit cards) and would never require a customer to use one specific type of payment. PSEG Long Island customers scheduled for disconnection due to nonpayment receive written notice on their bill at least 10 days in advance.
PSEG Long Island cautions customers to also beware of emails that appear to be bills sent from the utility. The emails request personal information from the customer, leading to identity theft. The utility would not ask its customers to provide personal information online without first logging into My Account.
If you receive a suspicious email, do not provide any personal information, do not download any attachments, and do not click on any links in the email.
What to do if you get an email
Customers should delete any suspicious emails and visit www.psegliny.com to log into My Account, call PSEG Long Island directly at 1-800-490-0025 or visit a local PSEG Long Island Customer Service Center.
Any customer who has doubts about the legitimacy of a call or an email from PSEG Long Island — especially one in which payment is requested — should call the utility directly at 1-800-490-0025 or visit a local PSEG Long Island Customer Service Center. Service Centers are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with locations listed on customer bills and online at: https://www.psegliny.com/page.cfm/Account/Payment/CustomerServiceCenters.
For more information on various payment scams reported in the PSEG Long Island service area and around the country, visit www.psegliny.com/scam.
PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a 12-year contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of $9.1 billion.