CSA's News You Can Use: Power Company Scam Alert
Friday, August 23, 2013(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Pepco and Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative are warning customers of
phony calls aiming to scam customers out of their money. Pepco says
scammers are calling customers claiming to be with the power company and telling
customers they need to buy a Green Dot MoneyPak pre-paid card to prevent their
service from being shut off. Pepco urges customers to verify whether the caller
is affiliated with the power company. Pepco also reminds customers that it will
never require a single form of payment, but provides multiple ways customers can
pay their bill. When in doubt, call the utility at 202-873-7500. SMECO says its
customers are being called and asked to hand over credit card or bank account
information also to keep their power from being shut off. A spokesperson says if
a customer is unsure if the call is really from SMECO, hang up and call the
utility provider at 1-888-440-3311. Customers with past due payments will
receive a pink termination notice in the mail. SMECO also calls customers if
their payment is overdue. A spokesman reminds consumers to never provide
personal financial information or even their account information to unauthorized
callers.
- WTOP