Con Ed Warns of Phone Scam Targeting Customers

Con Edison has seen a recent spike in reports from customers contacted by con artists pretending to be company bill collectors.

The utility is warning customers not to fall for this scam, in which a caller threatens a service turnoff unless the customer purchases a pre-paid card or arranges for a transfer via MoneyGram to pay a bill. There have even been reports of these scammers making a Con Edison phone number show up on the customer’s caller ID.

• First thing to know: The callers are not from Con Edison. Con Edison does not accept payments of electric or gas bills by pre-paid debit cards, or by MoneyGram or similar transfers.
• Second: Anyone who feels they may have been a target of an imposter or a payment scam should call their local police department. They may also call Con Edison at 1-800-75CONED.

Con Edison believes the scammers are calling customers randomly, not targeting just those who owe back payments. The company has received complaints from residential and business customers.

Here are the details:

The scammers sometimes even tell the customer about a store near the customer’s home that sells pre-paid cards. The scammer instructs the customer to pay cash to put money on the card and to then provide the number on the card to the person who called.

Once the customer provides the scammer with the card number, the scammer steals the money on the card.

With MoneyGram, scammers may ask a customer to provide money from a bank account, credit card or debit card by going online or to a specified location. The money goes into someone else’s bank account or is available for the receiver to pick up in cash.

Be alert if anyone asks you by telephone to arrange for pre-paid debit cards or a MoneyGram transfer as payment for your bill, or to send money to an out-of-state address, utility officials said. Never arrange payment or divulge account or personal information, including debit or credit card information, over the telephone, unless you are certain you are speaking to a Con Edison representative.

Con Edison’s website offers a variety of approved and convenient options for bill payment.