FirstEnergy Recognizes Utility Scam Awareness Day, Offers Tips to #StopScams
Wednesday, Nov. 16, marks the seventh annual Utility Scam Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the tactics used by scammers to target utility customers. The annual awareness day is organized by Utilities United Against Scams, a consortium of more than 150 utilities and related organizations working together to educate customers on how they can prevent becoming victims of utility impostors.
While scammers work year-round, they are more active during colder months because they know customers rely on electricity to stay safe and warm and are more likely to comply due to fear of disconnection. Scammers often prey on the fears of vulnerable customers to steal their personal information and trick them into paying “unpaid bills” to avoid service disconnection.
“While we take significant measures to ensure the safety and security of customer account information, scammers can be very convincing to unsuspecting utility customers,” said Michelle Henry, senior vice president of Customer Experience at FirstEnergy. “We urge customers to be on guard against impostors who claim to be associated with our company.”
To date in 2022, we have received more than 3,500 reports of scams from customers. The actual number of scam attempts is even higher since many go unreported to the company or law enforcement officials.
Stop Utility Impostors in Their Tracks
Scammers continue to implement sophisticated tactics to impersonate utility companies. It is important that customers can distinguish between legitimate contacts from their utility and attempts used by utility impostors. Here are some tips to help:
Well in advance of the disconnection date, FirstEnergy utility customers who are behind on their accounts will be sent written notice of their account status with instructions on how to avoid disconnection of service.
Utility impostors often require that you use unusual payment methods like digital payment apps, cryptocurrencies or money transfers. Only send payments to your FirstEnergy operating company using our established payment methods.
FirstEnergy field collectors working in New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio may offer customers with past-due accounts the opportunity to pay their bill in person before disconnecting service. All employees carry company-issued photo identification.
Some scammers go door-to-door posing as affiliates of FirstEnergy and offer “special deals” to customers who provide their personal information. FirstEnergy employees and authorized contractors do not solicit door-to-door and will never ask you to provide a copy of your electric bill.
Scammers often use Caller ID spoofing software to misrepresent the source of a phone call to further mislead and confuse their targets. When in doubt, hang up and dial the phone number on your FirstEnergy bill. Never dial the phone number provided by the scammer or the Caller ID.
Bad actors frequently pretend to offer bill assistance through programs that do not exist in order to steal sensitive customer information. Customers in need of assistance should view our list of authorized bill assistance programs.
Utility imposters have spoofed employment listings on legitimate job-search websites to trick jobseekers into providing personal data. You can verify the authenticity of the posting by visiting www.firstenergycorp.com/careers or contacting FirstEnergy’s Human Resources department at FirstEnergyHR@firstenergycorp.com.
Cyber criminals may also try to steal your private information using malware delivered through texts and emails. Avoid clicking on any links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails or texts.
For more information about how to #StopScams, check our scam information page, which is updated periodically to include emerging scam activity.
Please share this information with friends and family to continue raising awareness of these crimes. You can also follow FirstEnergy utilities on Facebook and Twitter, as well as Utilities United Against Scams, for regular scam safety tips.