Scams Targeting SDG&E Customers On The Rise

SAN DIEGO, CA — Scams concentrating on San Diego Gas & Electric clients are on the rise, the utility company introduced Tuesday.

Scammers posing as SDG&E representatives declare that buyer accounts are delinquent, threaten to close off energy and demand funds over the cellphone. Customers reported roughly 3 times the variety of utility-related scams from March to April of this year, in accordance with the company.

“It’s notoriously underreported, too,” SDG&E spokesperson Anthony Wagner instructed Patch. “People are usually embarrassed to call.”

Commonly focused victims embody the aged, limited-English audio system, home-owner associations, restaurant homeowners and small companies, in accordance with SDG&E. Customers are requested to pay with Bitcoin, Green Dot debit playing cards, Zelle or different non-traditional types of cost that SDG&E doesn’t use.

“Compounding the loss, targets are told over and over the payment did not go through and the victim unwittingly repeats the financial transaction,” SDG&E mentioned. “They are told to keep trying because any amount overpaid will result in an expedited refund. The losses can be staggering. A local business recently was swindled of more than $25,000 with that technique.”

Although usually based mostly outdoors of the nation, the scammers use caller ID spoofing to make it seem to be calls come from numbers with a 619, 760 or 858 space code, in accordance with SDG&E.

“The scammers are persistent with their questions and threats,” the company mentioned. “The scams vary in levels of sophistication including being passed off to other role players to give the perception the imposter is calling from a large organization.”

SDG&E mentioned it doesn’t demand funds over the cellphone with the specter of rapid service disconnection. The company suggested clients to terminate suspicious calls after which name SDG&E’s Customer Contact Center.

SDG&E offered some tricks to keep away from being scammed: