PG&E customers lost nearly $900K to scams in 2023. Here's how to avoid them

Reports of utility scams targeting PG&E customers were at an all-time high in 2023, resulting in nearly $900,000 in losses.

Those numbers are according to data released by the company Friday.

Now, officials with the company are reminding customers to always be aware of potential scams and are sharing tips on how to avoid them.

Here are signs of a potential scam:

• The person, either by phone, email, or in person, aggressively threatens to disconnect you from service.
• The person requests immediate payment.
• The person requests payment with a pre-paid card, cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, or some kind of payment application, such as Zelle or Venmo.
• The person says that your utility company overbilled you and owes you a refund or that you are entitled to a rebate.

If any of these occur, officials say to hang up the phone, delete the email, or close your door. Customers with delinquent accounts receive an advance disconnection notification — typically by mail — and it's included in their regular monthly bill.

“Scammers will attempt to create a sense of urgency by threatening immediate disconnection of your utility services if you don’t make immediate payment," said Matt Foley, lead customer scam investigator for PG&E. "... If you receive a call like this, hang up, and then either log onto PGE.com to confirm your account details, or you can call our customer service number."

Officials with PG&E also will never demand how a bill must be paid. The company accepts payments online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person.

If you suspect a phone call claiming to be from PG&E may be a scam, hang up and call PG&E at 1-833-500-SCAM.

For more information, visit PG&E's webpage dedicated to scams.

Scams on the Central Coast

Data from the company said they received 43,000 reports from customers claiming they were targeted by scammers impersonating the company. Those resulted in $875,000 in fraudulent payments, the company said in a press release, with the average customer losing $785.

Scammers typically target the elderly or low-income customers, the release said.

One hundred and eighty of those scammed customers were located on the Central Coast between Paso Robles and Buellton.

Breakdown by city:

• Santa Maria, 66
  
• Paso Robles, 45
  
• San Luis Obispo, 36
  
• Atascadero, 15
  
• Arroyo Grande, 6
  
• Grover Beach, 6
  
• Buellton, 2
  
• Guadalupe, 2
  
• Cambria, 1
  
• Cayucos, 1