Utility Bill Scam – be on the alert!

This is from a press release from my local utility, but the problem is not unique to this company, it is nationwide.  Be on the alert!  If you are contacted as described below, call your local utility.

NEWARK, N.J.,May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) is alerting its customers about a nationwide phony bill payment program that promises to credit or pay utility bills in exchange for personal information, including social security numbers. The scam, which has been reported in a number of states, claims that President Barack Obama is providing credits or applying payments to utility bills.

Here’s how the scam works:

• Someone calls a utility customer and tells them that the federal government has a program to pay utility bills on a one-time basis.
• Customers are asked to provide their social security numbers to apply for the program.
• The scammers then give customers a phony federal reserve bank routing number to use to receive the credit or bill payment. Some PSE&G customers have reported that they entered the false information, then called the company to verify that the payment was made by the government on their behalf. 
• According to reports, the scammers are also emailing, texting and using social media to reach customers.

What to do if you are contacted:

• If you receive a phone call, email or other communication purporting to be from your utility requesting your social security number, username or password, please do not provide it. Nor should you click on any links or respond in any manner.

Remember, call your local utility, not PSE&G if you are not their customer.

You have to give these crooks credit for taking advantage of the current political landscape, who wouldn’t believe there is yet another credit coming from this administration?