As part of International Fraud Awareness Week, Nov. 13-19 and Utility Scam Awareness Day, Nov. 16, Atlantic City Electric is taking the opportunity to join Utilities United Against Scams and more than 100 U.S. and Canadian energy companies to help make sure customers are on the lookout for imposters using energy related scams to steal money and personal information.
Scams occur throughout the year, but Atlantic City Electric generally sees an increase in attempted scam reports during the holiday season.
Scammers take advantage of their victim’s stress and higher than usual activity levels that come with the holiday season, to trick customers into providing their personal or financial information and making false payments under the pretense of keeping their service active.
Scammers are also attempting to take advantage of those still facing economic challenges while recovering from the impacts of the pandemic in an effort to pressure families and businesses who may be struggling with past-due balances.
“With many struggling to make ends meet, it’s more important now than ever for our customers and communities to be aware of scammers’ illegal attempts to defraud and steal from them, especially as we approach the holiday season,” said Morlon Bell-Izzard, senior vice president and chief customer officer for Pepco Holdings, which includes Atlantic City Electric.
Common schemes involve scammers’ use of technology to replicate a company’s phone number through caller ID – also known as spoofing – threatening to turn off a customer’s service unless they make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card.
Some scams involve imposters posing as Atlantic City Electric employees to gain entry into a customer’s home to steal belongings, with other activities involving scammers sending emails to businesses, requesting that they send Atlantic City Electric payments to fake pay sites.
To identify an actual Atlantic City Electric employee, remember:
- All Atlantic City Electric field employees wear a uniform with the Atlantic City Electric logo, including shirt and safety vest.
- Atlantic City Electric employees visibly display a company ID badge with the Atlantic City Electric logo and employee’s name.
Commercial customers are also advised to protect themselves from potential scam attempts. These offenders impersonate Atlantic City Electric and other trusted organizations through email or other forms of communications to deceive businesses into providing financial information or making an urgent payment.
To help protect their business from scams, employees at local businesses should:
- Carefully review emails originating from outside your organization’s network.
- Check the name of the sender and business and make sure it matches the name and business in the email address. Look for typos or slight image alterations within the email.
If a customer ever questions the legitimacy of a call or visit to their home regarding disconnection of service, they should contact Atlantic City Electric at 800-642-3780. Any customer who believes they have been a target of a scam is urged to contact their local police and call Atlantic City Electric immediately to report the situation.
To learn more about preventing scams, visit atlanticcityelectric.com for more tips and information.
