Overview
- Attorney General Dave Sunday reports a rise in impersonation schemes where fake utility websites appear in Google results and mimic official pages.
- Scammers pose as utility employees, claim accounts are past due, and pressure customers to pay or share banking details.
- Fraudsters also use calls, texts, and emails threatening immediate shutoff while demanding payment via wire transfers, gift cards, or apps like Venmo or CashApp.
- In Pennsylvania, legitimate disconnections follow formal notice procedures that typically take at least a month rather than sudden same-day shutoffs.
- Guidance from the AG advises typing your utility’s web address directly, calling the customer-service number on your bill, avoiding phone numbers in online ads, and reporting losses to the Bureau of Consumer Protection or dialing 911 in an emergency.