19 Nov PG&E Urges Vigilance as Customer Utility Scams Surge

(PG&E via Bay City News)

By Sarah Stierch
Bay City News

PG&E is asking customers to be more vigilant about scams this holiday season as the number of utility customers being targeted is “alarmingly high” this year.

More than 21,000 reports have been filed in 2025 by customers who say they were contacted by phone or online scammers posing as PG&E employees, the utility said Wednesday — which coincided with Utility Scam Awareness Day. The utility estimates customers have lost nearly $300,000, with an average loss of $670 per person.

PG&E says the holidays are a prime time for scammers, who often target distracted customers. Scammers most commonly reach out by phone, although online and in-person scams also occur.

“Scammers will try to create a false sense of urgency to pressure customers by threatening immediate disconnection of your utility services if immediate payment is not made,” said Matt Foley, PG&E’s lead scam investigator.

PG&E never contacts customers for the first time within an hour of a planned disconnection, Foley said. The utility also does not request payment through prepaid debit cards or payment apps such as Venmo or Zelle.

“If a call doesn’t feel right, hang up and log into your account at PGE.com or call our customer service line to verify your billing details,” he said.

Small and medium-sized businesses are also frequent targets, PG&E said. The utility has received nearly 700 reports of scam attempts involving businesses this year.

To reduce utility fraud, PG&E is working with the group Utilities United Against Scams, which urges customers to “slow down, verify and stop the scam.” Customers who receive a call threatening disconnection and demanding payment should hang up immediately.

Account details — including whether a disconnection is pending — can be verified by logging into a PG&E account at http://www.pge.com or by calling customer service at (800) 743-5000.

Suspected scams should be reported to PG&E at (833) 500-SCAM, at http://www.pge.com/scams, or to local law enforcement. Anyone who feels threatened or believes they were defrauded should contact law enforcement immediately.

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