The Township of Washington Police Department would like to advise residents of PSE&G Scams that are occurring around our area.
Phone Scams
Residential and small business customers have reported receiving phone calls from individuals claiming to be PSE&G employees. Payment is demanded within hours using a pre-paid debit card. Things to know:
- PSE&G offers a variety of payment options and would never require a specific type of payment.
- Customers scheduled for disconnection due to nonpayment receive written notice on their bill at least 15 days in advance.
- PSE&G will never ask for personal information over the phone unless you initiated the contact.
If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a call from PSE&G, especially if payment is demanded, hang up and call us directly.
Email Scams
PSE&G customers have reported receiving convincing-looking emails that are actually fraudulent. Emails sent by PSE&G would never:
- Threaten to close your account if you do not take immediate action
- Ask customers to provide personal information online without first logging into My Account
Should you receive a suspicious email DO NOT reply, click any links, or download any attachments.
If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of the email, feel free to call PSE&G Customer Service.
Imposters At Your Door
If anyone comes to your door looking like, or claiming to be, a PSE&G employee, ask for ID. All PSE&G employees must carry ID and present it when requested. If you are not convinced, do not let the person in your house. Call us at 1-800-436-PSEG (7734). A Customer Service Representative will gladly verify if a technician has been dispatched to your location.
Things to know:
- If the person at your door gives you a different phone number to verify his/her presence, do not call it. Only call 1-800-436-PSEG (7734).
- PSE&G will never send employees to your home or small business offering cash refunds on deposits or utility charges. We will only either credit your account or mail a check to your service address.
Below is a Press Release directly from PSEG:
Media Relations Public Service Electric and Gas Company
PSE&G Issues Scam Alert
PSE&G phone number spoofed by scammers
(NEWARK, N.J. – Aug. 9, 2019) Public Service Electric & Gas is warning New Jersey residents that scammers have spoofed one of its phone numbers in attempts to obtain personal information. On Thursday, PSE&G started receiving a small number of inquiries, with calls escalating during business hours today. Many of the callers were returning missed calls that appear to have been made from a PSE&G phone number.
“If you receive an unexpected call from PSE&G in the next few days, particularly if you are not a PSE&G customer, we encourage you to hang up as it may be a scammer,” said Fred Daum, PSE&G’s executive director of customer operations. “If you have pending business with us, such as an appointment or collection notice, call us back on the number provided on your bill or call our customer service line, 800-436-PSEG (7734) or contact us on our website through MyAccount.”
When a scammer pretends to work for PSE&G, they will often request personal data such as credit card information or account passwords. No one should give out this type of personal information. When a customer calls PSE&G to conduct account business, PSE&G has numerous secure methods for verifying customer information.
Callers reported that today’s scammers have asked for personal information to conduct a meter reading or to add discounts on the PSE&G bill, or for information related to debit and credit cards on file. Such tactics are known utility scams, the most popular of which is a demand for immediate payment to avoid service termination. Before terminating service, PSE&G alerts customers in a number of ways: messages on their bill, letters and phone calls. PSE&G would never demand a specific type of payment nor threaten immediate service termination. While there are many ways to pay a PSE&G bill, the utility only accepts credit card and prepaid card payments through Western Union Speedpay, which charges a $3.95 processing fee.
Report all scam attempts by calling your utility and local police department, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/complaint. More information about scams is available at www.utilitiesunited.org and www.pseg.com/home/customer_service/bill/scam/index.jsp.
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PSE&G
Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) is New Jersey’s oldest and largest gas and electric delivery public utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state’s population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability as well as the 2018 Outstanding Customer Reliability Experience Award. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company. PSEG has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for North America for 11 consecutive years.
Click here to visit the PSE&G website and here to visit the PSE&G blog.
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