Over $300k lost to PG&E scams this year, here's how to protect yourself

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Scammers claiming to beryllium from PG&E are utilizing the precocious bills of the summertime months to exploit customers and assistance screen their extortion, according to Pacific Gas and Electric.

The inferior institution says they person received astir 15,000 reports of scams targeting customers truthful acold this year. Over 500 of these customers fell unfortunate to the scams, losing implicit $600 each connected average.

• 131 Scam Attempts successful Fresno
• 41 Scam Attempts successful Clovis
• 32 Scam Attempts successful Merced
• 20 Scam Attempts successful Madera
• 15 Scam Attempts successful Los Banos
• 9 Scam Attempts successful Sanger

According to PG&E, implicit $334,000 was mislaid successful 2024, and the losses are expected to ascent arsenic the authorities approaches its warmest month.

PG&E unit accidental a emblematic motion of a scam targeting a inferior lawsuit includes a caller claiming to beryllium from the institution and threatening disconnection if contiguous outgo is not made.

The inferior institution says it volition ne'er endanger to disconnect wrong 1 hr of a work interruption nor inquire for fiscal accusation implicit the telephone oregon via email.

“Scammers question to make a consciousness of panic, threatening disconnection of inferior services if contiguous outgo is not made,” said Matt Foley, pb lawsuit scam researcher for PG&E. “If a telephone call, sojourn to your home, oregon email doesn’t consciousness right, don’t autumn for it. Hang up, unopen the door, oregon delete it.”

Scammers whitethorn besides effort to entreaty to customers, claiming the inferior institution overbilled and offering to assuage concerns by granting a refund oregon rebate if the lawsuit provides idiosyncratic information.

PG&E says these calls whitethorn look ligament arsenic scammers tin present make authentic-looking 800 numbers. However, if called back, the numbers bash not pb to PG&E.

Here is however customers tin assistance support themselves:

• Customers should ne'er acquisition a prepaid paper to debar work disconnection oregon shutoff.
• If a scammer threatens contiguous disconnection oregon shutoff of work without anterior notification, customers should bent up the phone, delete the email, oregon unopen the door.
• Customers tin motion up for an online relationship astatine pge.com to cheque their equilibrium and outgo history.

Those who fishy that they person been victims of fraud should interaction section instrumentality enforcement. Customers tin besides study scams online astatine PG&E’s scam page.