PGW Recognizes Utility Scam Awareness Day
Posted on: Nov 19, 2020
PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 18, 2020) – Today, Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) joins Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) in recognizing Utility Scam Awareness Day, part of the week-long International Scam Awareness Week to educate customers and expose tactics used by scammers.
PGW reminds customers to always ask for identification before letting anyone claiming to be a utility worker enter their home or businesses. All PGW employees will have identification badges, arrive in official PGW vehicles with clearly visible PGW logos, and have PGW branded clothing. Customers suspicious about the identity of a PGW worker are urged to call 911 before allowing anyone into their home. The Philadelphia Police Department has a direct line to PGW and can verify if the person is an employee.
In addition, PGW will not ask customers for personal information or demand payment by phone or email. Customers suspicious of a telephone caller claiming to come from PGW should ask the caller to verify the customer’s account; ask the caller to verify the customer’s last payment; or ask for the name of the caller’s supervisor. Customers who remain suspicious can hang up and call PGW at 215-235-1000 to verify the call.
“With the economic and personal challenges our customers may be facing at this time, we do not want them to fall victim to bad actors and utility scams,” said Melanie McCottry, Vice President, Corporate Communications & External Affairs at PGW. “PGW takes customer safety very seriously. We care about our customers and their loved ones.”
UUAS, a consortium of more than 145 U.S. and Canadian electric, water, and natural gas utilities and their respective trade associations, continues to create awareness of common scams and new scam tactics being used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its work and with the help of customer reporting, UUAS has succeeded in taking nearly 9,500 toll-free numbers used by scammers against utility customers out of operation.
“It is no surprise that scammers have been seeking to exploit the heightened anxiety of people coping with the pandemic,” said UUAS Founder and Executive Committee Chairman Jared Lawrence. “I am proud to report that UUAS’ education efforts and utilities’ well-publicized customer testimonials have prevented a drastic increase in victims. However, the relentless attempts by these criminals make it clear that we must continue to actively work to protect our customers and to keep scammers from casting confusion on our pandemic recovery messages.”
Customers can find information about protecting personal data on The Federal Trade Commission’s website, at www.utilitiesunited.org, or by following UUAS on Twitter and Facebook.
PGW’s “Imposter Awareness” page at pgworks.com/safety-reliability/imposter-awareness also has tips customers can use to identify PGW employees and protect their personal information.
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