JCP&L Phone Scam Warning Issued By Brick Police

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township police are reminding residents to be wary and not fall for telephone scams that are rampant in the area.

Recently the department has received several reports involving local businesses and residents who have been victimized by a JCP&L phone scam, Brick Sgt. Neal Pedersen said.

Here is how the scam works:

You are called at your place of business or at your home, and the caller will identify themselves as a bill collector for JCP&L. The caller tells you that your account is past due and if you do not make an immediate payment your power will be turned off, Pedersen said.

The caller goes on to tell you that the only form of payment they accept is a Green Dot Money Card.

"This should be a clue that this is a scam," Pedersen said. JCP&L does not use or accept such cards.

If you purchase the cards and call the number that the caller provides, the scammers will receive the money, he said, and the Green Dot money card numbers are difficult to trace to the person who receives the money.

If you do receive one of these calls or if you have a question regarding your JCP&L account you should contact them directly.

JCP&L's parent company, First Energy, has the following reminders on its website, Share them with your friends and family members so no one falls for these scams:

Important Safety Reminders

• Customers who are behind on their accounts receive written notices of a possible disconnection and how to prevent it. Our representatives will not call or email to demand immediate payment or threaten imminent shutoff.
• Scammers often use Caller ID spoofing software to misrepresent the source of a phone call to further mislead and confuse their targets. Call-back numbers provided by these criminals often use greetings and hold messages that mimic legitimate businesses. If you have any doubts about the status of your electric service, call your utility company using the numbers on our website to ask about your account.
• FirstEnergy employees do not contact customers to request sensitive information such as Social Security numbers or bank account information.
• Do not allow anyone claiming to be a utility employee into your home unless you scheduled an appointment and the employee has provided proper identification. Our utility employees typically visit a home only in response to a service request or after providing prior notification.
• FirstEnergy/JCP&L utility employees always carry photo identification, and many of our field employees wear uniforms and drive clearly marked company vehicles.
• Our utilities offer a wide array of approved billing and payment options. Only send your payments to JCP&L, and never use a payment account provided to you by an unknown individual.
• Our alert services can help you keep track of the amount and timing of your bill, and our eBill payment option can help ensure your account is always paid on time.

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