Authorities Warn of Scammers Posing As Utility Employee

Authorities warned Southlanders about criminals who have been telephoning people and falsely telling them they must pay their utility bills with a pre-paid cash card or face immediate service termination.

Southern California Edison (SCE) is advising its customers to be aware of a new telephone scam that is demanding immediate payment for allegedly past due electricity bills.

Imposters have been calling SCE customers telling them they must make immediate payment on past due bills or have their electric service disconnected.

The callers are also demanding that payment be made through a prepaid cash card, such as a PayPal or Green Dot card.

“We ask our customers to be alert to these calls that demand immediate payment and threaten service disconnection,” Henry Martinez, SCE vice president of Safety, Security & Compliance said in a statement.

“Customers suspecting a fraudulent call should ask for the caller’s name, department and business phone number. If the caller refuses to provide this information, customers should terminate the call and report the incident immediately to local police or SCE at 800-655-4555.”

The fraudulent activity has been directed at some customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power according to the Southern California Gas company. 

SoCalGas also warned customers to be aware of the payment scam. There are no indications that SoCalGas customers have been targeted at this point, according to Gas Co. spokeswoman Denise King.