Scammers Target Santa Cruz County, Pose As PG&E Representatives

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Phone scammers are targeting Santa Cruz County residents, posing as representatives from the Pacific Gas & Electric Company and demanding immediate payment to keep the lights on, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said.

Scammers have the ability to disguise their area code to make "PG&E" or "Pacific Gas and Electric" appear in the caller ID field, the sheriff's office said. They often ask for payment via a cash or gift card.

Other known PG&E scams have involved calls about federal tax refund eligibility, selling solar evaluation services and selling a product to get access to a customer's home, the sheriff's office said.

Skeptical of a call about a past due bill or service request? Hang up and call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000, the sheriff's office said.

Updates about PG&E scams can be found here.