There are so many scams that official calls cannot be trusted. The power company received 1,300 complaints.

Southern California Edison (SCE) is raising awareness about the latest scam tactics amidst rapidly advancing technology. Even calls that appear to come from SCE may not be legitimate, and the company urges customers to remain vigilant.

Homeowners and small business owners are especially vulnerable to these scams. According to SCE’s statistics, they have received nearly 1,300 reports this year alone, with scammers impersonating SCE employees to commit fraud. The losses have amounted to over $170,000, averaging around $170 per customer.

In one instance shared by SCE, a scammer claimed to have received instructions to disconnect a customer’s power service. The caller pressured the customer to return the call and threatened that their meter would be removed if payment wasn’t made immediately. SCE provided an example of a voicemail left by one of the scammers: “Hi, this is Kevin from SCE. I’m calling because I have a work order regarding your property at… (address). I’ll be arriving in 30 to 45 minutes to disconnect your meter. I’m calling to confirm that you requested this disconnection. If you didn’t make this request or are unaware that it’s happening, please call us back at ###-###-##### to discuss your service, and press 1 or 2 to speak with a representative. The case number is #D41612014. Thank you.”

Peggy Garcia, SCE’s representative for information governance, emphasizes, “If you get a call from someone claiming to be from SCE and they are pressuring you about unpaid bills, hang up immediately.” She highlights that SCE will never ask for payment over the phone.

Additionally, Garcia points out that scammers can easily fake official phone numbers. “A call may show up as an SCE number, but that doesn’t guarantee its legitimacy,” she warns.

Another scam involves social media accounts and websites that claim they can teach customers how to avoid paying utility bills by referencing consumer laws. Scammers charge fees for online courses and often instruct customers to write “paid” on their bills and send them to the utility company, inaccurately believing this will clear their outstanding balance. “This is incorrect,” Garcia states. “There is no law allowing customers to skip paying their utility bills. Doing this could result in disconnection of service.”

SCE urges anyone who suspects they might be a target of fraud to note the phone number and report it using their scam reporting form at https://cloud.sce.com/Fraud_Form. They remind customers that legitimate utility companies will not unexpectedly call them about disconnections, request financial information, or demand payments. Customers should never disclose personal or financial information, including their SCE PIN, unless they have initiated the call and confirmed the recipient’s identity. Scammers often create a sense of urgency, pressuring customers into making quick decisions, while SCE provides ample notice before disconnecting service.